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1
Add the onion, water, pisco or vodka, and garlic cloves to a large saucepan and cover. Bring to a simmer over medium heat and add all the mussels. Cover the saucepan and cook for 5 minutes.
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2
Fill a large bowl with ice and water and place it near the saucepan containing the mussels. After the mussels have cooked for 5 minutes, uncover the saucepan, remove any mussels that have opened and place them into the bowl of ice water. Continue simmering, removing any opened mussels, until you have transferred all of them into the bowl of ice water. Set the mussels aside.
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3
Raise the heat to high and reduce the cooking liquid by half. Reserve 2 tablespoons of the cooking liquid.
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4
In a separate bowl, combine the diced red onion, tomato, rocoto, cilantro, choclo, lime juice, and 2 tablespoons of the mussels' cooking liquid. Season with salt and pepper to taste. You can also adjust the acidity and spiciness by adding more lime juice and chiles. You can store the mussels and the topping in the refrigerator for several hours until you are ready to serve.
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5
When you are ready to serve, break off half of the mussel shell that is not attached to the meat and discard. Arrange the mussels on the half shell on a large platter and top each mussel with a teaspoon of the onion mixture. Serve cold.
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6
Note: Choclo is a variety of corn native to Peru and its neighboring countries. It is often called Peruvian giant corn because each kernel is about the size of a thumb print. You can find imported frozen choclo at many Latin American markets. Unlike North American corn, choclo is very starchy (like a potato) and not sweet at all. The flavor and texture are irreplaceable, so if you cannot find choclo, simply omit it from the recipe.
