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Cooking With Wine - Steamed Mussels

 

Welcome to our blog series on cooking with wine in which we continue our culinary adventure with steamed mussels. This is one of those truly West Coast laid back meals. If you like garlic and a little bit of heat, you’ll also love this recipe.

Before we begin, there’s one thing that we find really handy and that’s to know a few things up front. First, how long will it take to prep, cook, set aside, refrigerate, etc. before it’s ready to eat? Second, how many people will it serve? Lastly, the grocery list.

 

Nice to know details

As a general rule, set aside the following times:

  1. 30 minutes preparation
  2. 8-11 minutes cooking
  3. Serves 4 people

 

Grocery List

  • 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon of butter
  • 6 garlic cloves
  • 4 shallots
  • 1/4 teaspoon of crushed red pepper flakes
  • 1/8 teaspoon of fresh ground black pepper
  • 1/4 teaspoon of sea salt
  • 4 pounds of fresh mussels
  • 2 carrots
  • 1 bottle of Sauvignon Blanc
  • 8 sprigs of parsley
  • 8 sprigs of fresh dill
  • 1 lemon
  • 1 baguette

 

Prepare the mussels

It’s important to examine and clean the mussels well.

  • First, look at each mussel through the light and discard any that are cracked, chipped or open
  • Second, hold each mussel using a dry towel and pull the fibres away from the shell
  • Third, remove sand and barnacles with a firm brush
  • Lastly, rinse the cleaned mussels under cold water

 

Prepare other ingredients

Save some time by preparing some of the other ingredients in advance

  • Finely chop the 6 garlic cloves
  • Thinly slice the 4 shallots
  • Peel and slice 2 carrots on an angle about 1/4 inch thick
  • Tear the parsley leaves off the stems
  • Cut the lemon into 4 wedges
  • Slice the baguette on an angle

 

Steaming the mussels

Just to be safe, it’s a good idea to have an extra bottle of the Sauvignon Blanc you’re using in the recipe chilling. You might want to have a few sips during the cooking stage. Also, you’ll need a bottle to be served with dinner!

  • Place 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil and 1 tablespoon of butter in a large pot with a lid
  • Heat the oil and butter over medium heat
  • Add chopped garlic, sliced shallots and 1/4 teaspoon of red pepper flakes, 1/8 teaspoon of fresh ground black pepper and ¼ teaspoon of sea salt to the pot
  • Cook until fragrant and soft but not colored – about 3 to 5 minutes
  • Add the mussels, carrots, 1 and 1/2 cups of Sauvignon Blanc and half the parsley into the pot
  • Increase to high heat and cover the pot for 2 minutes
  • Remove the lid and toss the mussels well with a large spoon
  • Cover the pot again and cook until the mussels have opened wide – about 3 to 4 minutes
  • Add the remaining parsley and give the mussels a final toss

 

Serving

  • Discard any mussels that didn’t open
  • Distribute the good mussels using a slotted spoon into 4 serving bowls
  • Pour the broth carefully into each bowl, stopping to avoid any grit in the bottom of the pot
  • Garnish each bowl with 2 sprigs of dill and 1 lemon wedge
  • Serve with the sliced baguette

 

Pairing

We recommend serving this meal with a bottle of your very own DIY craft white wine. It’s always best to serve the same wine used during cooking. This always helps to enhance both the flavours in the dish and also the wine.

 

Tips

  • We think there’s enough garlic in the broth to add amazing flavour to the bread but you might want more
  • If you want toasted garlic bread, brush it with extra virgin olive oil, rub the cut end of a garlic clove over it and toast it under the broiler
  • You can use fresh mussels or frozen but make sure they are completely thawed before steaming
  • Enjoying the bread dipped in the broth is an amazing experience!

 

We hope you enjoy this Cooking With Wine – Steamed Mussels recipe.

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