Skip to Content

Indian Curry Mussels With Coconut Milk

Indian curry mussels in a coconut milk sauce, spicy, fragrant & delicious, a real gastronomic treat that cooks in well under 15 minutes!

Cooking shellfish really is not that intimidating and this recipe will have you knocking out this recipe like a boss in no time at all.

Indian curry mussels in a coconut milk sauce serve in a white bowl.

Indian Shellfish Curry

I love this recipe! The simple and stripped-back curry flavours are mellowed with coconut milk. They match perfectly with the rich taste of the sea that you get from shellfish.

Curry is often thought of as a big flavour, and of course, it is. But with sensitive handling, it can work really well with fish and seafood.

I have both a Thai salmon curry as well as a Thai red mussel curry and a much more delicate Indian-influenced sea bass curry, a bolder king prawn balti as well as fantastic salmon tikka!

This dish uses fragrant spices and a little bit of heat to create a gentle curry that allows the mussels to shine.

I’ll not go into any detail on the preparation of mussels here as I cover it comprehensively in this steamed mussels recipe.

If shellfish is your thing you must check out my version of spaghetti alle vongole or my budget-friendly pasta with mussels recipe!

Close up Indian curry mussels in a coconut milk sauce.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I Make This Recipe with Precooked Mussels?

Yes, you can! I have been experimenting with this in recent months after getting hooked on mussels after finding a fresh supply.

Fresh raw mussels are definitely better to my mind, but you can use both frozen or chilled mussels here

Neither of them needs cooking because they already are cooked. As a result, they just need to be brought to temperature. So make the ‘broth’ first adding 2-3 times more water and then throw in the mussels then add a lid.

Refrigerated mussels will take around 3-4 minutes to come to temperature over a medium-high heat.

Frozen mussels will take maybe 8-10 minutes. I would start these over a high heat initially for 2-3 minutes then reduce to medium-high.

Can I make this in advance?

No, not really because the mussels will become inedibly chewy!

Can I use low fat coconut milk?

I personally wouldn’t low fat coconut milk is coconut with extra water which means that it is coconut milk with less coconut milk!

Overhead curry mussels in a coconut milk sauce serve in a white bowl.

Serving Suggestions

This dish needs nothing more than some nice bread to mop up the coconut milk rich broth after you have finished picking through the curried mussels.

As tempting as it is to suggest naan bread, which does work, but I think that you actually want something that is a little fluffier.

Personally, I often choose a soda bread, even with the Indian slant to this meal.

Although a side helping of fries and they must be thin and crisp, salty french fries would not go amiss.

I use the same technique as I do to cook my chippy chips but I reduce the cooking time by half in the initial phase.

It would work equally well with my straw potatoes!

If you happen to dust them with garam masala when they come out of the pan, then even better!

Indian curry mussels served in the shells in a coconut milk sauce.

Equipment Used

I only name-check brands of equipment if I think that they make a material difference to a recipe. But if you have any questions feel free to ask them in the comments section below the recipe.

  • Stovetop.
  • Wok, I use a large carbon steel wok. Improvise the largest lid that you have.
  • Chopping board.
  • Kitchen knife.
  • Weighing scales and or a measuring cup, measuring cups and spoons.
  • Stirring and serving spoons.
Indian curry mussels served in the shells in a coconut milk sauce.
Yield: 2 Servings

Curry Mussels Recipe

Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 15 minutes

This recipe takes one of my favourite foods and adds my favourite 'national flavours. These Indian Curry mussels are a real favourite of mine, simple to cook and lightning quick at just 15 minutes if your mussels are prepped by your fishmonger!

Ingredients

  • 1 kg (2.2lb) Mussels
  • 2 Tbsp Canola oil
  • 1 Red Chili Pepper
  • 1 Tbsp Grated Ginger
  • 4 Cloves Garlic
  • 2 Spring Onions
  • 1 Tsp Brown Mustard Seeds
  • 1 Tsp Cumin Seeds
  • ½ Tsp Black Pepper
  • 1 Tsp Kashmiri Chili Powder
  • 1 Tsp Ground Turmeric
  • ¼ Tsp Salt
  • 50ml (3 Tbsp + 1 Tsp) Water
  • 165g (⅔ Cup) Coconut milk
  • 1 Tsp Garam Masala

Instructions

  1. Prepare the mussels.
  2. Finely slice the chilli and garlic
  3. Grate the ginger.
  4. Finely chop the spring onions.
  5. Heat a wok over a high heat and when shimmering add in the oil.
  6. Throw in the white parts of the spring onion, garlic, ginger and chilli pepper and stir fry for 60 seconds.
  7. Now add in the mustard seeds, cumin seeds, black pepper, chilli powder and turmeric.
  8. Stir for 30 seconds and then add the water, stir and then in quickly with the mussels.
  9. Place on the lid and cook until the mussels open, this should take 3-4 minutes.
  10. Now stir in the coconut milk and garam masala and cook for another minute or two.
  11. Serve sprinkled with the green parts of the spring onion.

Notes

Try and get your hands on some cleaned mussels, if not budget an extra 15 minutes to clean a kilo of mussels.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

2

Serving Size:

1

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 771Total Fat: 44gSaturated Fat: 19gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 20gCholesterol: 140mgSodium: 1557mgCarbohydrates: 32gFiber: 3gSugar: 2gProtein: 63g

Calorific details are provided by a third-party application and are to be used as indicative figures only.

Did you make this recipe?

If you made this recipe, I'd love to see what you did and what I can do better, share a picture with me on Instagram and tag me @krumplibrian and tell me how it went!

Neena Cholette

Monday 14th of October 2024

This was excellent! note that your recipe says "fennel seeds" and I think should be cumin seeds. I add cilantro as a garnish which was very good also. If you dont want as much heat from fresh chilis, use 1-2 dried red chilies.

Thank you for the nice recipe - will making this again soon!!

Brian Jones

Tuesday 15th of October 2024

Hi Neena... Glad you enjoyed this and thank you for pointing out my error, I tweaked this recipe a short while ago and moved form fennel to cumin and must have missed updating the instructions text.

Thanks again. Brian

Jacqueline Debono

Tuesday 14th of May 2019

We eat a lot of mussels here in Italy but mostly cooked the Italian way. However, I'd love to try this recipe. I love curries with coconut milk and once had Thai mussels at a restaurant in London, which was delicious!

Brian Jones

Wednesday 15th of May 2019

There are so many ways of eating mussels around Europe, I love them and miss them greatly here in landlocked Hungary... I love Indian flavours so this recipe is very close to my "food heart"!

Lesli Schwartz

Monday 13th of May 2019

I love steamed mussels! This twist on coconut curry broth sounds so yummy. I love that mussels are so quick and filling. Thank you!

Brian Jones

Tuesday 14th of May 2019

Seafood is always great for a super quick dinner!

Julie

Monday 13th of May 2019

Ohhhh this sounds amazing!!! Love the unique flavors for this mussels recipe. So delish

Brian Jones

Tuesday 14th of May 2019

Thanks Julie.

Skip to Recipe