Moules Marinières
Laura SharradThis recipe is brought to you with the help of our friends at Wine Selectors
Ingredients:
- 2 pounds mussels, scrubbed clean under running water
- 1/2 cup dry white wine
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1/4 cup minced shallots
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 2 teaspoons flour (optional, omit for gluten-free version)
- 1/4 cup minced parsley
Method:
Clean and prep mussels:
- Put the mussels in a bowl of salted water (1 tablespoon salt per quart of water) for 10-15 minutes. Throw out any that are wide open or refuse to close when you handle them as these ones are likely dead.
- Looking over the closed mussels, see if any still have their beards (long hairy byssal threads which help anchor the mussel to surfaces) and pull them out, pulling slowly and strongly towards the hinge of the shell.
Steam mussels:
- Put 1/2 cup of dry white wine in the bottom of a large pot (at least 4-quart). Add the mussels to the pot. Cover and bring to a boil and then reduce the heat to low. As the mussels cook, they will release their highly flavored water into the pot.
- Cook until shells have opened, and the mussels are just cooked, looking steamed and soft, 5 to 7 minutes. Take care not to overcook, or the mussels will be rubbery and hard.