Moules marinières

A great alternative for supper: a steaming bowl of fragrant mussels!

Serves 4

Preparation time: 20 minutes

Cooking time:  15 minutes

Ingredients

• 50 g butter
• 4 shallots – chopped
• 1 celery stalk – chopped
• 2 garlic cloves - crushed
• ½ bunch of flat-leaf parsley – finaly chopped
• 400 ml dry white wine
• 2 kg live mussels, scrubbed and beards removed (discard any that stay open when sharply tapped)
• 150 ml double cream
• Sea salt and freshly ground pepper

Method

• Melt the butter in a large saucepan and cook the shallots, celery, garlic and half of the parsley over a medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the shallots are softened but not brown.
• Add the wine to the pan and bring to the boil for 2 minutes
• Tip in the mussels, cover the pan tightly and simmer over a low heat for 2-3 minutes shaking the pan occasionally.
• With a slotted spoon, remove the cooked mussels and transfer them to a warm dish. Discard any mussels that did not open.
• Strain the cooking liquid through a fine sieve into a clean saucepan, leaving behind any grit or sand.
• Bring to the boil for 2 minutes. Remove from the heat, add the cream, and then reheat gently without boiling. Season well.
• Pour over the mussels, sprinkle with the remaining parsley and eat whilst it is hot.

My tips:

Use a decent quality wine such as Muscadet, Sauvignon Blanc from Tourraine or Picpoul de Pinet to cook the mussels. Equally, the same wine will pair nicely with your dish. You could even try a dry Alsace Riesling

By tradition, serve thin French fries with the mussels. However, using hunks of crusty French baguette to soak up the flavoursome juice works well too.