Marinaded Mussel Salad

This salad was developed for the series of cookbooks I co-created with Marty Kendall from Optimising Nutrition, and it quickly became a regular in my house.

We are so lucky in New Zealand because mussels are local and inexpensive. They are an excellent source of all minerals but in particular Selenium. In New Zealand, our soil lacks Selenium. Selenium is a trace element an essential micronutrient. It has been recommended that one Brazil nut a day will give you the required amount daily intake. But that only helps if the Brazil nut you are eating is grown in a country that has selenium-rich soil. So, maybe we should be eating a mussel a day instead!

I buy the ready marinaded ones at the supermarket to make this quick salad. The marinade does contain sugar but I drain and rinse the mussels which hopefully means very little sugar is eaten (if anyone knows of a brand that has no sugar please let me know).

Mussels are also an excellent source of B12. Check out the full micronutrient profile by clicking on the Cronometer nutritional panel below—it will take you through to the Cronometer website where you can see the micronutrients. This one salad ticks a lot of boxes.

INGREDIENTS

100g marinated (or smoked) mussels, drained

50g spinach & baby kale mix or salad leaves of choice

A sprig of parsley, chopped

100g cucumber, diced

50g green bell peppers, diced

8 cherry tomatoes, halved

DRESSING

Juice & zest from half a lemon

Drizzle of olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

METHOD

If making to take to work, place the vegetables into a sealable/transportable container or if eating immediately place in a bowl. Add the mussels last.

Squeeze over lemon, drizzle the olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Or alternatively, put the dressing ingredients into a small jar to take with you and add the dressing just before you intend to eat the salad to stop the leaves from wilting and going soggy.

serves 1 | calories 348 | protein 26.5g | fat 18.5g | carbs 16.5g