Mussels with White Wine Broth
Mussels are one of those dishes I always thought were reserved for fancy restaurants. Once I started cooking, I realized they’re actually pretty cheap and easy to make. I hate admitting that because anytime I’ve cooked mussels for people, they’re pretty impressed, as if I was slaving in the kitchen all day. Once you see how easy they are to buy and prepare, they won’t seem so intimidating (and my cooking won’t seem so impressive).
The only thing you need to really pay attention to when buying mussels is they need to be alive right up until you steam them. They are stored in ice water at the grocery store and need to stay very wet and cold until cooking. To be on the safe side, I think you should buy them from the grocery store on the same day you plan to cook them. Also, toss out any of the opened shells before you get to cooking.
Regarding the broth, you could kick up the flavor with red pepper or more fresh herbs, but even this recipe hits every element you are looking for when craving mussels. Light, herby, salty, garlicky and savory. Don’t forget to serve with crusty bread for dipping. That is arguably the best part of the dish!
Mussels with White Wine Sauce
Ingredients:
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 leek, thinly sliced (white parts only)
1 shallot, thinly minced
5 garlic cloves, minced
2 pounds Mussels
2 cups good white wine
3 tablespoons creme fraiche
Juice from one lemon
Handful of fresh parsley, chopped
Directions:
In a large dutch oven, begin to melt 2 tablespoons of butter. Then add the leek, shallot and garlic. Let the vegetables begin to sweat. This is where the veggies begin to lose moisture and start to become translucent. Cook for about 8 minutes until all of the veggies are soft. Season with salt pepper.
While the veggies are cooking, add your mussels into a large glass bowl. Pour cold water over the mussels to ensure there is no lingering residue or dirt. This is also a good time to make sure you don’t have any dead mussels. (If the shells are open, they are dead. Don’t eat them!)
Turn the heat up to high and stir the veggies for about 1 minute. Then pour in the wine, while scraping up the fond off of the bottom of the pot. The fond are the browned bits clinging to the bottom of the pot. When liquid is poured over a hot pan, you have the opportunity to scrape up these pieces so that you don’t lose any of that flavor.
Let the wine simmer until it has reduced quite a bit (about 2 minutes). Then pour in the mussels and cover the pot. You want to mix every couple of minutes. The mussels will be done once they have all opened. Once the mussels are done, pull them from the pot and add them into a serving dish.
Now take the creme fraiche, parsley and 2 tablespoons of butter and add them into the white wine sauce. Stir to combine and let the mixture boil for a few minutes. Pour the mixture over the mussels in your serving dish.
Serve with crispy sourdough bread and a few slices of lemon!
