Cheesy Tahong or cheese-stuffed baked mussels is made by mussels, butter, minced garlic, cheese, salted egg and minces scallion. Cheesy Tahong or cheese-stuffed baked mussels is one of the fanciest looking appetizers to quickly impress your guests. Follow our recipe to make this scrumptious dish in your home.
Cheesy Tahong
Every seafood recipe that is prepared gorgeously in Filipino cuisines will likely draw much attention than any other meat dishes that are covered in red sauce. This Cheesy Tahong is definitely the one to be grabbed away quickly after it is set out on the table. It must be the powerful effect of its highly mouthwatering appearance of delicious freshly cooked mussels with thick blankets of cheese. Don’t worry, it is not as intimidating to cook as it looks.
I remember that one time when we were celebrating my sister’s graduation, we went to a restaurant wherein they offered us a platter of cheesy mussels as the appetizer. It’s still vivid how it hooked me quickly — the deliciousness of seafood and cheese flavors perfectly complementing each other. What a perfect starter before eating the main course!
I cannot imagine how thankful my tummy was that day. From then on, I never stopped bugging my mom to learn the recipe. When she didn’t, I taught myself through internet browsing. This is the recipe I loved the most and will forever follow because my family enjoys it every time.
How to Cook Cheesy Tahong
To have a platter of fine cheesy stuffed mussels on the table, you must be with the proper ingredients and good recipe guide. It’s really affordable and easy since it only requires a few ingredients and procedures. But since we don’t want to compromise the quality taste, it’s important to keep in mind the quality of each raw ingredients you’ll get and the perfect strategies of cooking. For one, buy the kind of mussels that look and smell fresh, and in with closed shells.
Starting off with the mussels, check first what are the best ones to cook by pressing together the shells. If it responds by closing, then it is perfect to be cooked, otherwise toss it in the garbage together with the cracked ones. Do not forget pull off its beard before cooking. Heat a pot of water and after it steamed, put the mussels. Once the shells start opening, it is ready to be taken out of the pan onto a plate. Always discard the ones that did not open.
With the cooked mussels, let it cool for a few minutes before separating the shells completely. Set aside only the flesh-containing shell then discard the empty ones. Next, stuff the mussels with the mixture of melted butter, minced garlic and onion, and the salted egg yolk. Lastly, top each mussels with grated cheese before arranging it on a wide pan over medium heat. Cook inside a completely covered pan for 2-3 minutes until the cheese spreads out and melts over the stuffing. Transfer onto a wide platter and serve immediately.
Cheesy Tahong
Course: Seafood5
Ingredients
1/2 kilo mussels (tahong)
1/2 cup melted butter
7 cloves minced garlic
1/2 cup cheese
1 salted egg
minced scallion
Directions
- Prepare the fresh mussels by filtering what to cook or discard. Toss away the cracked mussels as well as the unreactive ones (once tapped or pressed).
- Boil water in a pot. Once boiling, add the mussels. Wait until the shells slightly open before removing them from the pot. Toss away whichever did not open.
- Crack the shells completely open. Set aside the ones containing the flesh and discard all its empty pairs.
- To make the stuffing, combine the melted butter, minced garlic and scallion, as well as the salted egg yolk.
- Start stuffing each mussel with the mixture. Top with grated cheese. Repeat for the rest of the mussels.
- Arrange the stuffed mussels onto the pan and cover completely with pan lid. No need to put water. The heat from the pan will melt the cheese. (OR BAKE IN OVEN for 15 to 20 minutes at 180C)
- Cook for 2-3 minutes in low heat or until the cheese is fully melted. Transfer onto a platter and enjoy!
Notes
- If you have oven, you can also bake this recipe. Preheat oven at 180c. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until the cheese is completely melted and bubbly.
- Mussels are easy to find and affordable also. Make sure to pick a store in the marketplace that offers the ones with close shells that look and smell fresh.
- Most mussels are alive when they are open. Press together the opened shells of the mussels to check if it is fresh. If it doesn’t close, you’ll know it is dead and therefore should be tossed away into the garbage together with the cracked ones.
- Before cooking the mussels, make sure to pull off its beards and rinse it thoroughly using a clean brush first.
Watch how to cook Cheesy Tahong
