What are mussels? Little delicious morsels packaged in a blue-purple-black shimmery shell, full of nutrition. The meat inside is a little funny-looking; you just have to get over that. No need to dissect and study it. Pop an entire delicate sauce-covered steamed bite into your mouth and enjoy layers of flavor. Do this, and I dare you to not eat another… and another… until your need for omega 3 is satisfied and happiness ensues.
It takes only about 15 minutes to steam up a batch, and they are relatively inexpensive. Serve with pasta, potatoes, steamed veggies, salad, soup, whatever you like.
You can eat them like this… how to eat mussels. Or you can get fancy and use a little seafood fork. But you might not “impress your date”. Your choice.
Packed in a little mussel:
- protein
- omega 3
- b12
- folate
- manganese
- phosphorus
- zinc
- selenium
- calcium
- iron
- vitamin C
If you want to learn more, check out this beautiful site discovermussels.com.
Mussel Prep
Keep your mussels alive! Keep them cold and allow them to breathe. Wrapping them tightly in plastic to bring home is NOT a good idea. They will suffocate.
When you get them home, clean them. Scrape off barnacles, if any. Gently pull off beards (little hair-like things). Rinse.
Mussels with White Wine Sauce
Clean mussels, as described above.
If you find any open mussels, give them a little tap. If they are still alive, they will close. You can use this mussel. If if does not close, discard it. If the shell is cracked discard it. Below are examples… can you see the crack in the one on the top?
Keep mussels refrigerated and on ice while you prepare a steam pot.
First, dice one shallot… for about 2 lbs. of mussels.
Put about 2 T butter in a sauce pan. I used clarified butter. Add shallots. Add diced or pureed garlic. Gently saute until translucent.
Garlic and onion notes: When I make garlic-infused oil, I reserve garlic cloves. This makes quick work of adding garlic to recipes. If you are cooking for LowFODMAP, replace shallots with diced green onion and use garlic infused olive oil, or just leave out the garlic.
You can also add grated lemon peel and/or red pepper flakes for freshness and heat.
When your shallots are tender, add white wine. You need only enough to get about 1/4 inch on the bottom of the pan.
At this point, it occurred to me that my 2 lbs of mussels were not going to fit comfortably into my pan, so I transferred the sauce to a pot.
Bring heat up to a steam. Add mussels…
Cover. Steam until the mussels pop open. (I only used the towel to prevent taking my own picture in the reflection from the lid. You don’t have to add a towel.)
A little peek under the lid reveals mussels beginning to open. Don’t overcook them! This is what you want, plump pretty mussels. Don’t let them get dry and shrivel up.
It will only take a few minutes before your musses are all open and ready to eat! Transfer them to a serving dish. If you desire, you can finish the sauce by whisking in a little more butter. Add chopped parsley.
Pour your delicious sauce over mussels. It will settle into all those little shell pockets. mmm
Serve with lemon wedges for added flavor.
Classic Mussels in White Wine Sauce
- 2 lbs mussels
- 2 T butter, or clarified butter
- one shallot, diced
- 1-2 cloves garlic, finely diced or mashed
- grated lemon peel, about 1 t
- red pepper flakes, to taste
- white wine, about 1 cup, or enough to cove about 1/4 inch in bottom of pot
- salt, to taste
- lemon wedges
Keep your mussels alive! Keep them cold and allow them to breathe. Wrapping them tightly in plastic to bring home is NOT a good idea. They will suffocate. When you get them home, clean them. Scrape off barnacles, if any. Gently pull off beards (little hair-like things). Rinse. Discard cracked and open mussels that will not close when tapped.
Put about 2 T butter in a sauce pan. Add shallots. Add diced or pureed garlic. Gently saute until translucent. Add lemon peel. Add red pepper flakes. Salt, to taste.
Move pan off heat to add wine. Return to heat and bring up heat until wine begins to steam. Add mussels. Cover. Steam mussels until they pop open.
Transfer mussels to a serving dish. Finish sauce with a pat of butter, if desired. Adjust seasonings of the sauce, if needed. Pour sauce over musses and serve.
Notes:
Garlic and onion notes: When I make garlic-infused oil, I reserve garlic cloves. This makes quick work of adding garlic to recipes. If you are cooking for LowFODMAP, replace shallots with diced green onion and use garlic infused olive oil, or just leave out the garlic.
If there are any mussels left over, you can remove them from their shells, add them to a freezer bag with their sauce and freeze them to add to pasta for another meal.
Enjoy!
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