Description

Moules mariniere — mussels steamed in white wine, shallots, and butter — is the quintessential dish of France and Belgium’s coastal brasseries. It is disarmingly simple: fresh mussels cook in their own briny liquor amplified by wine and aromatics, producing a sauce that demands to be soaked up with crusty bread and nothing else. The dish comes together in ten minutes of actual cooking, which makes it one of the fastest and most elegant meals you can put on a table.

Ingredients

Units

4 pounds fresh mussels
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 shallots, finely minced
4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1 1/2 cups dry white wine (such as Muscadet or Sauvignon Blanc)
1 bay leaf
3 sprigs fresh thyme
1/2 cup heavy cream (optional)
3 tablespoons fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
Freshly ground black pepper
Crusty bread for serving

Instructions

Clean the mussels: scrub the shells under cold running water, pulling off any beards (the fibrous threads protruding from the shell). Discard any mussels that are cracked, broken, or open and do not close when tapped firmly on the counter.
Melt the butter in a large pot (wide enough to hold the mussels in no more than two layers) over medium heat. Add the shallots and cook for 2-3 minutes until soft and translucent. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds.
Increase the heat to high. Pour in the white wine, add the bay leaf and thyme, and bring to a vigorous boil. Let the wine boil for 1 minute.
Add all the mussels at once. Cover the pot tightly with a lid. Steam for 4-5 minutes, shaking the pot by its handles once or twice during cooking to redistribute the mussels.
Remove the lid. The mussels should be wide open. Transfer the opened mussels to serving bowls using a slotted spoon. Discard any mussels that have not opened — they were dead before cooking.
If using cream, stir it into the broth and simmer for 30 seconds. Season the broth with black pepper (it rarely needs salt — the mussels provide plenty). Stir in the parsley.
Ladle the broth over the mussels. Serve immediately with thick slices of crusty bread for dipping.

Notes

Buy mussels the day you plan to cook them. Store them in the refrigerator in a bowl loosely covered with a damp towel — never in sealed plastic, where they will suffocate.
The broth at the bottom of the pot is liquid gold. Make sure there is plenty of bread at the table to soak up every drop.
Do not overcook the mussels. They are done the instant they open. Prolonged cooking turns them tough and rubbery.

Nutrition

Serving Size: 1 serving
Calories: 355
Fat: 22 g
Carbohydrates: 6 g
Protein: 14 g