Ingredients:
3 eggs
½ cup self-raising flour
½ tsp salt
Sprinkle of black pepper, freshly ground
1/3 cup buttermilk
24 fresh mussels, tightly closed shells
1 onion, finely diced
½ cup fresh coriander or parsley, chopped
1 small, mild red chilli, finely chopped
1 lemon, zest & juice
1 small knob of fresh ginger, grated
A small drizzle of olive oil or butter, for frying
METHOD:
To make the batter, beat eggs, self-raising flour, salt, a good grind of fresh black pepper and buttermilk (or milk) to form a smooth batter. Chill to rest. Steam fresh (they should all be closed tightly) mussels until shells open and they're just cooked. Remove mussel meat from shells and chop into small dice. Cut 1 medium kumara into quarters and boil until tender. Cool, peel and chop into small dice.
Add the mussels and kumara to a mixing bowl. Add onion, coriander (or parsley), chilli, lemon zest and grated ginger and mix together. Add the batter and the lemon juice and stir to combine.
Heat a non-stick pan and fry large spoonful (⅓ cup) of mix in a little olive oil or butter so they cook evenly on both sides (reserve them in a clean tea towel in a warm oven as you go).
To serve, squeeze with lemon, sprinkle with sea salt flakes and serve with lettuce and mustard mayo, or a sweet chilli sauce.