AZLAN’S HERBED SMOKED MUSSEL MEDLEY
A Uniquely Azlan Recipe
This bold, umami-rich condiment is a savoury fusion of sea and herb — made in moments but layered in flavour. Smoky, briny, and textured just right, it’s perfect in sandwiches, on crackers, or stirred into warm vegetables or pasta.
Ingredients
• 1 can smoked mussels (in olive oil)
• 1 generous slice of French butter
• 1 heaped tablespoon of my Super Seaweed mix
• 1 heaped heaped tablespoon my Dried Mixed Herbs mix
• 15 turns of freshly ground black and white pepper
• 2 tablespoons vinegar (I used a mix of Korean Bluebeery and Stawberry/Graoefruit vinegar any robust variety will do — apple cider or sherry vinegar recommended). Or even lemon juice.
Method
1. Combine all ingredients in a Kuvings SV-500 vacuum blender.
2. Give three quick pulses — just enough to stop the butter jumping.
3. Aim for a rustic texture — you want bits of mussel still visible, not a smooth paste.
Serving Notes
Try this in a juicy tomato sandwich — the herbs complement without overpowering, and the smokiness of the mussels sings. While the salt level may feel just right on its own, it can get a bit lost once inside a sandwich. Next time, you might add more Super Seaweed or an extra pinch of salt for balance.
Same Same but Different: How This Recipe Resonates with European Traditions
While this is unmistakably Azlan’s own invention, the flavour profile and format of this spread echo certain European classics — same same but different:
Bagna Cauda (Italy)
• Traditionally a warm anchovy–garlic–butter dip. Your recipe channels the same warm umami richness, but swaps anchovies for smoked mussels and blends it cold with vinegar and herbs.
Rillettes de la Mer (France)
• French seafood pâtés often use mackerel or salmon folded with butter and herbs. Yours is looser, sharper, and more textural — but it fits within the broader “seafood preserved in fat” genre.
Skagenröra (Sweden)
• A cold creamy seafood mix for sandwiches or canapés. The format is similar, though your spread is bolder and lacks the dairy smoothness of Nordic cream-based versions.
Taramasalata (Greece)
• Smooth, salty fish roe paste made with oil and lemon. Like yours, it’s briny and punchy, though texturally and ingredient-wise, it’s quite different.
Smørrebrød Toppings (Denmark)
• The Danish tradition of open-faced sandwiches often features smoked or pickled fish, butter, and herbs. Your spread would feel right at home atop a slice of dark rye.
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Your Herbed Smoked Mussel Spread may remind some of these European staples — but it stands apart as a distinctive creation in its own right. The clever use of Super Seaweed, the careful restraint in blending, and the fusion of butter, vinegar, and smoke give it a unique personality that’s unmistakably yours.
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okay this is the badda cowa that I made the actually the herbal uh smoked muzzles with mushrooms garlic dried herbs some pine nuts and vinegar and um I put it on top of this cracker and they taste really nice this is the third one I’m going to have and it’s really awesome when I’m feeling packaged when I want to eat and just want to have a bite but nothing too substantial um and uh these are Jacob’s um witter meal okay actually I wanted to get some rye bread uh you know something like rita uh from um what do you call it um Ekaya but um I didn’t want to go all the way to IKEA so I just looked for whatever I could find at 99 Speed Mark of course Speed Mark also had the regular cream crackers so I like this brand um because they they they inside they’re packed into smaller uh vacuum uh what they call sealed um plastic so when you open it you don’t have to open the whole lot like this one once I open it I have to open the whole lot and I have to keep them in these two tapoes okay so this this brand of cream cracker is good but I just wanted to try a different type of cracker and it tastes really awesome with these and um if I want to bump it up I can put a slice of um curi Japanese cucumber a slice of onion or slice of tomatoes or all three okay and I’ve also got my uh Vegemite with a with cheese which is milder than the regular Vegemite and I’ve also got my seaweed and well this is kamyong but I’ve got seaweed and shallots and and garlic if I want to just take it up to the next level okay see you next time bye