Mussel Balls
(A Roman Dish)
Isicia ex sphondylis: elixatos sphondylos conteres et nervos corum eximes, diende cum eis alicam elixatam et ova conteres, piper, liquamen. Isicia ex his facies cum nucleis et pipere. In omento assabis, oenogara perfundes,et pro isiciis inferes.
These things are basically meat balls, but instead of pork it calls for mussels (yeah, shellfish)! I ended up making 2 batches, one with only mussels and one with a combination of mussels and clams.
First you steam the shellfish until they open. Then shuck them and discard the shells. They will look like this...
Then grind the mussels (and clams if you're using them) with 2 eggs, whole peppercorns, pine nuts, and dried grits until it forms a thick paste.
Roll them into balls as you would for meat balls and cook.
The nature of the mussels and shellfish in general make it more loose than pork would be, but the egg works as a satisfactory binding. Next time make sure to fully grind grits and pine nuts to even out the consistency. Thankfully all ingredients are easily accessible to make an authentic dish.
