Mussels in a wine and herb sauce, Mediterranean-style is a favorite dish of ours. It’s a culinary delight!
On a recent driving trip to the south of France, we stopped for lunch at the fishing village of Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer known for its Moules-frites or moules et frites (mussels with fries).
Just feet from the seashore are cobblestoned streets lined with gift shops, candy and ice cream kiosks, and restaurant after restaurant claiming their Moules-frites are the best in the village.
We walked up and down the streets until we located a restaurant that had an available outdoor table under an awning, where we could enjoy our lunch al fresco as we watched the passing crowd.
The mussels were the best ever – large, silky, and succulent, as was the basket of crusty French country bread that was refilled over and over as we sopped up the liquid from the big bowl of mussels set before us. The fries were really good, as was the local white wine as we sat in the shade, enjoying the gorgeous ambiance of a beautiful autumn day and great food.
After lunch, we went for a leisurely stroll around town, and on the way, we had a spectacular peach gelato. The single scoop we started with didn’t seem enough, so we went back for a double.
We have tried to replicate the memory of that day by preparing mussels at home. While we can’t get shellfish pulled from the sea just moments before cooking, we made sure to purchase the freshest we could find. In this case, we used the cultured mussels from Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia that are available at our local market.
Since mussels are alive, they need to breathe. So as soon as you get them home, remove them from the plastic covering or string bag they are packed in. They are already cleaned, but to be sure, we used a soft brush to remove any remaining sand or grit. We also pulled out the long strands called beards off the shells, using a paper towel to get a good grip.
Any mussels that remain open after tapping on the shell or have broken shells should be discarded. Place the cleaned ones in a large enough container to cover them with ice, and then refrigerate them until you’re ready to cook.
If you purchase mussels, don’t store them in the refrigerator for more than two days, and don’t purchase any with a heavy fishy smell, as they may have been sitting in the market for more than a day.
This is a quick and easy dish to prepare once the ingredients are assembled. The dish is ready to go to table in 15 minutes or less. We like to serve it with lots of crusty garlic bread.
Dress the bread in advance, and pop it in the oven or toaster-oven to brown it just before serving. To prepare, slice a long baguette lengthwise, and slather it with salty butter on both sides. In a garlic press, place 1-2 large gloves of garlic (according to your personal preference), and spread the pressed garlic over the butter on one side of the bread.
Cover the garlic butter with grated Parmigiano Reggiano, Grana Padano, or any sharp hard Italian cheese of your liking. Sprinkle with chopped parsley or cilantro, and close the bread tightly until ready to toast. The bread will absorb the flavors while waiting to be dunked into the liquid of the mussels’ dish.
We have many white wines in our cellar, and when using wine in a dish, we normally like to use wine from the area the dish was conceived. In our opinion, food and wine from the same region is a result of years of experimentation by local cooks and winemakers to achieve the best possible taste. Since this dish is usually Italian or French, we should use an Italian or French wine with it. But we found that a Spanish Albariño makes for a tastier sauce according to our preference.
INGREDIENTS for Mussels Mediterraneo:
2 tablespoons sweet butter
1 large shallot, sliced
3 cloves garlic, minced
Kosher salt to taste
1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning (we like Spaghettata) or 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes or the seasoning of your choice
1 cup vegetable broth
1/2 cup dry white wine or 1-1/2 cups white wine and skip the vegetable broth
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice or to taste
2 pounds mussels
3 tablespoons fresh cilantro, shredded or chopped
For bread:
Long baguette
Salted butter
1-2 large cloves garlic
Parmigiano Reggiano, Grana Padano, or any sharp hard Italian cheese of your liking
Parsley or cilantro, chopped
METHOD:
In a large cast iron casserole or deep heavy pot, melt the butter and add the shallots, garlic, and seasoning until softened for 3-4 minutes. Do not brown!
Add the wine and/or broth and lemon juice, and bring to a boil.
Add the mussels, and steam for 5-6 minutes until all shells open.
Discard any shells that don’t open.
Meanwhile, toast the bread.
When all shells have opened, remove the pot from the heat, and sprinkle the cilantro on top. Bring the casserole to the table, serve with the bread and a good dry white wine. Enjoy!
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