These Steamed Mussels in Garlic and White Wine are a take on Moules Frites, a classic French bistro dish. Moules Frites directly translates to “Fried Mussels” but they’re never fried, they’re served with French fries. The mussels are steamed in a garlic white wine sauce and served with the side of fries to soak up that sauce.
Mussels cook in 10 minutes or less, making them a great dish for a fuss-free dinner party. You can serve them by themselves as a first-course dish or pair them with fries for a full entree. This Steamed Mussels in Garlic and White Wine recipe, calls for four pounds of mussels as a main course for four people. If you’re feeding more than four, add a pound for each additional person. If you’re serving these Steamed Mussels in Garlic and White Wine as a dish that is part of a larger dinner spread, you’ll only need about half a pound per person.
When your mussels are ready, you can serve them straight out of the pot in the middle of the dinner table for everyone to enjoy. Make sure to serve them with a French baguette or French fries to soak up the irresistible garlic and white wine sauce.
Steamed Mussels in Garlic and White Wine
Ingredients
- 4 lbs mussels
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 shallots diced
- 8 garlic cloves minced
- 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
- 1/2 cup white wine
- 2 lemons
- 1/4 cup parsley chopped
Instructions
- Clean 4 lbs mussels in cold water, discarding any broken or open shells.
- Dice 2 shallots mince 8 garlic cloves, and chop 1/4 cup parsley
- Add 2 tbsp olive oil to a pot over medium-high heat.
- Add diced shallots and cook until softened (about 5 minutes).
- Add garlic and 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes.
- Add in 4 lbs of cleaned mussels and 1/2 cup white wine. Cover and cook for 8 to 10 minutes until all the mussels have opened.
- Uncover and squeeze in the juice of 2 lemons and sprinkle in 1/4 cup parsley.
- Stir everything together and serve with a toasted baguette or French fries.
Cooking with Mussels
You can buy fresh mussels at an upscale grocery chain like Whole Foods or your local fish market.
The most popular mussels in North America are PEI mussels. PEI stands for Prince Edward Island, which is a province in Canada on the east coast. Mussels are in peak season from October to March but you can buy them year round.
Make sure your mussels are fresh and alive when you buy them. You can tell they’re still alive by tapping any open mussels against the counter. Live mussels will close up when they’re tapped.
Before you cook your mussels you need to properly clean them by soaking them in cold water and removing any debris or “beard” from the mussels. The beard is threads that mussels use to cling onto surfaces underwater. You can tug on the beard to pull it off and remove it. Toss out any cracked mussels or any mussels that won’t close when tapped.
You’ll know your mussels are ready and thoroughly steamed when all the mussels have opened.
Sides
French Fries
To make fries to serve your Steamed Mussels in Garlic and White Wine with, cut up Russet potatoes into matchstick-sized pieces and soak them in water for at least an hour before frying. The longer the fries soak in water the more starch will be released, making them crispier. Fry the potato matchsticks in oil and take them out when they’re golden brown. Add salt immediately and serve.
You can always bake the potatoes in the oven at 400 degrees or pop them into the air fryer if you don’t want to fry them in oil.
Toasted Baguette
Even if you serve your mussels with fries, you’ll want some bread to soak up the sauce. Cut a French baguette in half and rub garlic and olive oil on it. Sprinkle some salt and toss it in the oven at 400 degrees for a few minutes until golden brown.
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