CLASSIC FRENCH MUSSELS MARINIERE (WHITE WINE SAUCE)

One of the best parts about being self isolate with my family is that we all like to eat!

Every Friday we get together a little bit earlier and celebrate the end of the week with some nice seafood. Each week my mom has been busting out a new recipes, each better than the last. One recipe that topped the list was her classic french mussels in a white wine sauce, an easy crowd pleaser! If you have ever wondered how to cook mussels at home or are just looking for some new recipes for mussels to try, this one is easy and so delicious!

Enjoy!

INGREDIENTS:

Serves 2 People

-Seafood-
2.5 lbs of fresh mussels – rinse, scrub and de-beard. (I usually buy extra because I know that some are going to be bad)

How to buy, store, and prep fresh mussels:

When buying fresh mussels, make sure to smell them - they SHOULD NOT have a strong odor! You also want the shells to be shut. Since mussels are alive if you bang the shells or apply pressure and close them yourself, if they are indeed alive, they should shut or remain shut. If they open once again right away it means that they are weak/not fresh, so don’t buy those. Make sure to store your mussels in the fridge, they need air to breathe so don’t use a sealed container, instead place a damp cloth over them like a napkin or paper towel to provide further moisture. Before you are ready to use them make sure to rinse the shells, remove the beards or hairy bits, and scrub away any debris off the shells.

-White Wine Sauce-
2 TBSP of Unsalted Butter
1 Shallots - chopped finely
1 TBSP of Fresh Flat Parsley, chopped finely
1 cloves of garlic - minced
1 Stock of Celery, chopped finely
1 Bay Leaf
A few twigs of Fresh Thyme
1 Cup of Dry White Wine
Salt and Pepper to Taste
1 TBSP Double Creme

-Toppings-
Fresh Flat Parsley

-Extras-
French Baguette


LOVE SEAFOOD? CHECK OUT THESE OTHER SEAFOOD RECIPES!


HOW TO COOK MUSSELS:

how to cook mussels

Place a large pot on the stove and add in your butter. Allow butter to melt on medium heat. Once ready, add shallots and cook until translucent.

Add chopped parsley, celery, garlic, bay laves and thyme to the pot and mix. Allow the heat to bring out the aroma of the herbs (maybe 2-3 minutes).

Add the fresh mussels to the mixture and stir to coat the mussels with the herbs. Add the wine and raise temperature to high. When the wine starts to bubble, stir the mussels once again so that they become coated with wine.

After you have covered the mussels in white wine, lower the heat to medium/high and cover for 5-6 minutes but no more.

After 5-6 minutes, uncover and remove mussels from the pot but keep the juice in the pot. Taste sauce and adjust with salt and pepper if needed. Add the double cream to the sauce (it should make the sauce whiter) before stirring it in until well incorporated. Add the steamed mussels back into pot, stir and serving right away while hot.

Bon Appétit!!!


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how to cook mussels in white wine sauce

MUSSELS ARRABBIATA (SPICY TOMATO SAUCE)

One thing my brother-in-law and I have in common is our love for all-you-can eat mussels. When it comes to who can put down more bowls of mussels, I’ve got some stiff competition. Almost every time I go to visit him we always go to this restaurant that runs a ‘bottomless mussels’ special on Tuesdays and when they see us walk in they know, IT’S GOING DOWN!

The last time I visited though, I suggested trying our hand at making mussels at home. At the time I had also been craving something with a spicy arrabbiata sauce and I thought the flavors would pair really nicely with mussels (very similar to mussels marinara). So why not hit two birds with one stone!? Dinner that night came together beautifully, and I loved how well my new mussel recipe turned out. Needless to say, there were ZERO leftovers and being a self-proclaimed ‘mussel connoisseur’ I’m definitely giving myself a pat-on-the-back for this one!

To all my seafood lovers out there, this one is for you!

Buon Appetito!

INGREDIENTS:

 Serves 2 People

-Seafood-
4 lbs of fresh mussels – rinse, scrub and debeard. (I usually buy extra because I know that some are going to be bad)

How to buy, store, and prep fresh mussels:

When buying fresh mussels, make sure to smell them - they SHOULD NOT have a strong odor! You also want the shells to be shut. Since mussels are alive if you bang the shells or apply pressure and close them yourself, if they are indeed alive, they should shut or remain shut. If they open once again right away it means that they are weak/not fresh, so don’t buy those. Make sure to store your mussels in the fridge, they need air to breathe so don’t use a sealed container, instead place a damp cloth over them like a napkin or paper towel to provide further moisture. Before you are ready to use them make sure to rinse the shells, remove the beards or hairy bits, and scrub away any debris off the shells.

-Arrabbiata Sauce-
3 tbsp of olive oil
1 small sweet onion - chopped finely
2 cloves of garlic - minced
1-2 dashes of hot chili flakes (as desired)
2 800g (28oz) cans of peeled tomatoes (Roma / San Marzano)
2 tbsp of fresh basil, chopped roughly
Salt and Pepper to Taste

-Toppings-
Fresh Italian Basil

-Extras-
Baguette


LOVE SEAFOOD? CHECK OUT THESE OTHER SEAFOOD RECIPES!


HOW TO MAKE MUSSELS ARRABIATA:

 

In a deep skillet or Dutch oven, add olive oil and let it heat up on low to medium heat.

Once hot add onion to skillet and let sweat for 3-5 minutes. Add garlic and continue to simmer, stirring occasionally.

Once onion and garlic are translucent add in your chili flakes and continue to cook, 1-2 minutes.

Next, add in your roughly chopped fresh basil and both cans of tomatoes. Chop up any large tomato bits.

Add salt and pepper and mix thoroughly before covering and simmer at a low temperature for 30 minutes, stirring periodically. After 15 minutes add more salt and pepper to desired taste, if needed, then cover and let the sauce continue to simmer.

Place mussels in the skillet or Dutch oven and mix until fully coated in the simmering sauce. Cover and allow mussels to open/cook for 3-5 more minutes

Once all the mussels appear to be open and cooked, place in a bowl, garnish with fresh basil and serve!

Enjoy!


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If you like this fresh mussels recipe or have any comments/questions about how to cook mussels, feel free to leave them in the comment section below!


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