This mussels recipe with white wine and garlic is incredibly easy to make and an absolute winner in terms of flavor!
This recipe for mussels in white wine is elegant and sophisticated enough to serve to your guests at a dinner party – but it is also ridiclously easy to prepare!
Not only are mussels totally delicious, they’re also good for you! In fact, they’re considered to be the healthiest of all shellfish, packed with fatty acids, vitamins, minerals and iron.
Buying mussels
Mussels are usually quite easy to get hold of and relatively inexpensive too, so they make a fabulous addition to your meal rotation.
They are sold in their shells, which are usually closed tightly. When choosing mussels to use in this recipe, look for ones with intact shells and avoid those that are broken or damaged in any way.
Although the shells are quite substantial in size, the mussels themselves are quite small. This means that you may need to buy more than you think to provide enough for each person.
As a rule of thumb, aim to buy 1 lb of mussels per person if you’ll be serving them as a main course, and about 1/2 lb per person to serve as a starter.
Preparing mussels
Fresh mussels may have barnacles or sand stuck to them, so give them a good scrub to remove this before cooking. The best way to do this is to submerge them all first in a bowl of cold water.
If any of them happen to float to the surface during this process, discard them, as they are not good to eat.
If any of the shells are open, given them a sharp tap with a knife, which should make them close. If it doesn’t, discard those too.
Finally, remove the ‘beards’ – the fibrous parts that look like hair sprouting from the shell. A hard tug should be all you’ll need to get them off.
Your mussels are now ready to cook!
Note: Mussels have a VERY short shelf life. You should cook and eat them on the same day you buy them.
More recipes with mussels…
Steamed Mussels in Tomato Broth
You may also like this scallops in hibiscus sauce recipe.
Mussels White Wine Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 cups Dry White Wine
- 4 large Shallot finely chopped
- 4 cloves Garlic finely chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon Salt
- 4 pounds Live Mussel
- 1 handful Fresh Herbs mixed
- 6 tablespoons Butter cut into pieces
Instructions
- Rinse the mussels under cold running water and scrub well.
- Remove the beards using your fingers or a paring knife and throw them away.
- Pour the wine, shallots, garlic and salt into a large stockpot and simmer for 5 minutes over a medium heat. Add the mussels.
- Cover, turn the heat up to high and cook for around 5 minutes, until all the mussels are open.
- Stir in the butter and the herbs, then remove from the heat.
- Divide the mussels and their broth between 4 bowls and serve immediately.