I’ve been making variations of this recipe for so long as The One and I’ve been collectively. There was the bare-bones model with simply wine, onions, and bay leaves. There was the time I gussied up the mussels with cream, and it discovered its means into the meals pages of the Los Angles Occasions.
Generally I add Portuguese chouriço to the pot, much like my clams and sausage cataplana. That’s the model The One demanded I make all summer season in 2007 when he was kicking again within the Springs out in East Hampton and on his Jackson Pollack kick.
However I hold coming again to this model–wine, onion, garlic, cream, and generally parsley. Generally cilantro. Generally thyme. However each time, unbelievable.
Why Our Testers Cherished This
These mussels introduced again reminiscences for one in all our senior testers, Linda Pacchiano, who stated, “This took me again to a time in Brussels after I had probably the most wonderful plate of moules frites.” Angie Zoobkoff wrote that they have been simple to make and on the desk inside half-hour.
Maybe the largest praise was from The One, who simply final week stated, “I urge your forgiveness prematurely,” after which tipped again the bowl with the creamy broth and slurped each final drop. Excessive reward certainly.
Notes on Elements
- Mussels–Make certain to seek out the freshest mussels you’ll be able to. It makes all of the distinction on this planet.
- Heavy Cream–Provides, properly, a creamy consistency and style to the ah-mazing broth. You should use gentle cream, however cease there. Half and half or milk simply doesn’t have the brio wanted for this dish.
- White Wine–Like Julia Youngster all the time stated, “Cook dinner with wine ok to drink.” I all the time tip in the identical wine we’ll drink with the dish.
How one can Make This Recipe
- Soften butter over medium warmth. Toss within the onion and garlic and prepare dinner till delicate however not browned, 8 to 10 minutes.
- Squeeze the juice from the lemon half and toss it in, letting it sear a bit.
- Add the mussels and wine, cowl, and steam till most are open.
- Decrease the warmth to a simmer, pour within the cream, cowl, and steam till all of the mussels open.
- Spritz with chopped herbs and serve with toasted, buttered bread and lemon slices.
Frequent Questions
Shopping for 1 to 1 1/2 kilos of mussels per particular person for a main-course serving is ideal.
Farm-raised mussels are considerably cleaner and simply as flavorful as wild mussels. The most typical kind is the black-colored “blue mussel,” however green-shelled New Zealand mussels are widespread, too.
Ask your fishmonger for rope-grown mussels if yow will discover them, as they are typically even much less gritty. Rope-growing mussels is a way utilized by many mussel farmers. In late spring, when mussels start to spawn and the ocean temperatures rise, farmers drop outdated ropes into the water, which buoys hold afloat. The larvae naturally settle onto the rope floor and develop. It normally takes one to 2 years for them to achieve maturity.
It’s easy, actually. First, toss out any mussels which are cracked or don’t shut once you faucet them on the counter. Place the mussels in a colander and rinse them underneath chilly water. Scrub the shells to take away any mud utilizing a brush (not the one you employ to scrub dishes!). Rinse once more.
To debeard mussels, seize maintain of any stringy threads poking out from the mussel. Pull downward towards the hinge of the shells. This takes some muscle (pun supposed). Rinse the mussels yet one more time, and also you’re good to go.
Professional Suggestions
- To maintain your mussels recent, scoop ice cubes into two massive zip-top baggage. Lay one bag on the underside of a big bowl. Add the mussels and prime with the second bag of ice. It’s greatest to prepare dinner the mussels the day you got them.
- After you add the cream, warmth the broth on low. Boiling the liquid may cause it to separate.
- The One and I lay out solely soup spoons with this dish. We eat the mussels the way in which we have been taught by a French pal: Use an empty mussel shell as pincers to pluck the plump meat from the shells. Have loads of napkins readily available!
Extra Oceanic Mussels Recipes
Write a Assessment
In case you make this recipe, or any dish on LC, think about leaving a evaluation, a star score, and your greatest picture within the feedback beneath. I like listening to from you.–David
Incredible! I’ve all the time cherished creamy sauces however had by no means had them with mussels. I’m bookmarking your web page. Thanks.
Paulo
Stop your display from going darkish
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Soften the butter in a big pot over medium warmth. Toss within the onion and garlic and prepare dinner, stirring typically, till delicate however not browned, 8 to 10 minutes. Squeeze the juice from the lemon into the pot and drop within the lemon, too.
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Increase the warmth to excessive, scoop within the mussels, pour within the wine, and canopy tightly. Steam the mussels till most of them open, 4 to five minutes.
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Cut back the warmth to low, pour within the heavy cream, and add just a few grinds of recent black pepper.
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Let the sauce lazily burble till all of the mussels are open, 2 to three minutes extra. Toss the cussed sons-of-bivalves that refuse to open.
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Crown the mussels with parsley. Serve alongside a basket of toasted bread and lemon wedges.
Serving: 1 servingEnergy: 638 kcalCarbohydrates: 20 gProtein: 31 gFats: 44 gSaturated Fats: 26 gMonounsaturated Fats: 11 gTrans Fats: 0.5 gLdl cholesterol: 181 mgSodium: 691 mgFiber: 1 gSugar: 6 g
Diet data is mechanically calculated, so ought to solely be used as an approximation.
Recipe © 2020 David Leite. Pictures © 2023 David Leite. All rights reserved.
Recipe Testers’ Evaluations
This recipe for mussels in a creamy white wine garlic sauce took me again to a time in Brussels after I had probably the most wonderful plate of moules frites. The recipe produced just about the an identical dish (minus the frites) with completely balanced flavors and a richness that comes from only a few easy elements.
You’ll want to buy the perfect mussels yow will discover from a dependable supply. We have been lucky to seek out recent mussels from Maine, which have been very clear with nearly no beards. Plan on a few pound particular person with loads of crusty baguette slices for dipping.
These mussels in a creamy white wine garlic sauce have been a deal with! They have been simple to make and on the desk inside half-hour of beginning.
Do take care to ensure the warmth may be very low earlier than including the cream, as it could actually cut up simply. We served with loads of crusty bread for sopping up the scrumptious sauce.
