Moules marinières
Mussels steamed open in white wine with butter, shallot, garlic and parsley, served in their briny broth with crusty bread for dunking.
- Prep
- 7 min
- Cook
- 8 min
- Serves
- 2
- Per serve
- 650 kcal
Ingredients
Method
Rinse the mussels in a colander under cold water and pull off any hairy beards, tugging toward the hinge. Discard any with cracked shells. Tap any open mussels sharply on the counter: if they don't close within a minute, throw them away.
Melt the butter in a large pot with a tight-fitting lid over medium heat. Add the shallot and garlic and cook, stirring, until soft but not browned.
Pour in the wine, turn the heat to high and bring to a rolling boil.
Add the mussels, cover and steam, shaking the pot every minute or so, until the shells have opened.
Discard any mussels that are still closed. Stir in the parsley and a good grind of black pepper (no salt needed, the mussels are briny).
Ladle the mussels and broth into deep bowls and serve with the bread and an empty bowl for the shells.
Tips
- Buy mussels on the day you cook them and keep them in the fridge in their bag or a bowl covered with a damp towel, never sealed in plastic or sitting in water.
- Fresh mussels smell like the sea. Any with a strong fishy smell, or that feel heavy with sand, should go.
- Stir 3 tbsp heavy cream into the broth at the end for moules à la crème.
