Mussels In Wine And Garlic - Moules Mariniere

Today I'm showing another classic recipe, mussels cooked in a saucepan. I really want you to read it carefully and not be afraid to step out of the daily soup and steak routine! Of course it's easier to cook whatever is more handy, but lately it's been less hard to find fresh mussels for a decent price. It's so nice to enjoy an interesting, special, classic dinner... we like it a lot! Mussels cooked in a saucepan, or mussels in wine and garlic - I'd say it's the cheapest and the most accessible seafood dish. It looks impressive and it's very tasty if you serve it next to a crispy baguette and freshly sqeezed lemon juice.

In restaurants, this dish can be found as Moules Mariniere or Mussels Mariniere and it's, in fact, the simplest and the most accessible way of cooking mussels. They are the main ingredient and the rest is only meant to enhance their flavour. So you want to pick fresh mussels which smell like sea water and not like stale fish. Do not buy mussels of questionable quality, which are stale or smelling of fish, better cook the recipe another time.

Ingredients
Fresh black mussels
2 kg
live mussels with shells, fresh, not frozen
Butter
25 g
Olive oil
30 ml
White dry wine
100 ml
Onion
1 piece
Garlic cloves
2 pieces
Fresh parsley
1 bunch
Salt
0.5 tsp
Thyme
1 piece
1 sprig, if you have, it's optional
White bread
1 piece
Lemon
1 piece
Step by step
Step 1

The first and the most important step is to pick the right mussels. They should look good and smell like salty sea water - if they smell even slightly of stale fish, don't buy them!

Try to find the exact day when the mussels were delivered, it's really important.

Mussels In Wine And Garlic - Moules Mariniere - Step 1
Step 2

I found mussels for 11 lei/kilo and I bought 2 kilos. After cleaning, they won't be 2 kilos anymore and I wanted to make sure we will have enough :)

Mussels In Wine And Garlic - Moules Mariniere - Step 2
Step 3

Place mussels in a big bowl, pour cold water and let sit for 20 minutes. 

After this time, drain the water, discard any broken/cracked mussels. You can give a second chance to the open ones - knock them against the table and if they don't close in 1-2 minutes, discard.

Mussels In Wine And Garlic - Moules Mariniere - Step 3
Step 4

Now starts the painstaking process, I would even recommend wearing some gloves.

- debeard all the mussels, remove the strings by pulling hard;

Mussels In Wine And Garlic - Moules Mariniere - Step 4
Step 5

- rub the shells with a scrubber;

- you can also use a knife to clean the harder bits, but don't insist too much, they don't do much trouble;

Mussels In Wine And Garlic - Moules Mariniere - Step 5
Step 6

These are the mussels cleaned, I rinse again thoroughly once or twice and place in a colander to drain, while I take care of the rest of the ingredients.

Mussels In Wine And Garlic - Moules Mariniere - Step 6
Step 7

Out of the 2 kilos mussels, I discarded about 500g, so I guessed correctly.

Mussels In Wine And Garlic - Moules Mariniere - Step 7
Step 8

Now peel and wash the garlic, onion, parsley and thyme.

Mussels In Wine And Garlic - Moules Mariniere - Step 8
Step 9

Finely chop all of them, except for the thyme.

Mussels In Wine And Garlic - Moules Mariniere - Step 9
Step 10

Pick a good demi-sec white wine.

Mussels In Wine And Garlic - Moules Mariniere - Step 10
Step 11

Heat the oil and the butter in a large deep skillet (or a heavy-bottomed pot).

Mussels In Wine And Garlic - Moules Mariniere - Step 11
Step 12

Stir in the finely chopped onion and cook for 3-5 minutes.

Mussels In Wine And Garlic - Moules Mariniere - Step 12
Step 13

Then add in the chopped garlic, stir and cook for another minute.

Mussels In Wine And Garlic - Moules Mariniere - Step 13
Step 14

Add the mussels to the saucepan.

Mussels In Wine And Garlic - Moules Mariniere - Step 14
Step 15

Pour in the wine.

Mussels In Wine And Garlic - Moules Mariniere - Step 15
Step 16

If you have, add a small branch of thyme.

Mussels In Wine And Garlic - Moules Mariniere - Step 16
Step 17

Mix well with a spoon or shake the saucepan.

Mussels In Wine And Garlic - Moules Mariniere - Step 17
Step 18

Cover with a lid and simmer for 4-5 minutes over high heat.

During this while, shake the pot 2 more times.

Mussels In Wine And Garlic - Moules Mariniere - Step 18
Step 19

Scatter with chopped parsley, a little salt and pepper to taste.

Mussels In Wine And Garlic - Moules Mariniere - Step 19
Step 20

Stir well, turn the heat off and let sit for another 5-10 minutes with the lid on, for all the flavours to blend.

Mussels In Wine And Garlic - Moules Mariniere - Step 20
Step 21

Meanwhile, toast some slices of fresh baguette on a grill pan - to do it by the book :)

You can rub each slice of bread with a piece of garlic, if you like it.

Mussels In Wine And Garlic - Moules Mariniere - Step 21
Step 22

Divide the mussels among the plates, making sure to discard the ones which haven't opened.

Mussels In Wine And Garlic - Moules Mariniere - Step 22
Step 23

Pour over some cooking broth.

Mussels In Wine And Garlic - Moules Mariniere - Step 23
Step 24

Serve next to baguette toast and sprinkled with some lemon juice.

We ate the mussels with great pleasure!

Enjoy!

Mussels In Wine And Garlic - Moules Mariniere - Step 24
Quantity: 2 kg (3-4 servings)
Prep time:
20 min
Difficulty: easy
Ready in: 60 min