The Kutai Guy Smoked Mussel Fritters

Here’s a taste of the Outstanding Food Producer Awards 2024 Champions Party for you…Glasshouse executive chef James Wilkinson created these with gold medal winning The Kutai Guy, Green Lipped Mussels. It’s a riff on a fritter the stewards whipped up during the OFPA judging at Homeland. The key is that these fritters are made essentially with mussels, and bound with a small amount of batter – delicious. Emerson’s Dear Dublin Irish Stout adds a hint of much-desired bitterness to the batter.

Makes 4 large fritters

 250g tub The Kutai Guy Smoked Mussels, chopped into small pieces

2 large free-range eggs

½ cup plain flour

½ teaspoon baking powder

1 x 440ml can Emerson’s Dear Dublin Irish Stout (you will need 2 tablespoons – the remainder is for drinking)

4 spring onions, trimmed and finely chopped

4 tablespoons chopped parsley

oil for cooking

thick sliced bread (untoasted or lightly toasted), and butter for serving

aioli for serving

lemon wedges for serving

a few chives, optional

 Whisk the eggs in a bowl until frothy. Sift in the flour and baking powder and whisk together along with 2 tablespoons Irish Stout until you have a smooth batter.

Put the mussel pieces, spring onion and parsley in a bowl and mix to combine.  Add the batter and mix again to combine. Taste and season with salt.

Heat a large frying pan over medium heat. Add a little oil, then drop large spoonfuls of the fritter mixture into the pan. Cook until golden on each side, about 5 minutes in total.

Serve mussel fritters straight from the pan onto thick slices of buttered bread. Finish with a small dollop of aioli, a good squeeze of lemon juice and a few snipped chives, if wished.