Foodie Blogroll

Saturday, October 27, 2012

Steamed Mussels with a White Wine Sauce

Steamed mussels are so easy and impressive....I don't know why I haven't made them sooner. I guess I just have so many things I want to try, but when I ran across some fresh mussels at Whole Foods all cleaned and ready to go...I jumped on it!
Ingredients:
2 pounds mussels, scrubbed clean under running water
1/2 cup dry white wine
2 tablespoon  olive oil
1 tablespoon vinegar
2 shallots minced
3-4 cloves minced garlic
1 teaspoon tarragon
1/2 cup cream
2 teaspoons flour (optional, omit for gluten-free version)
1/4 cup minced parsley
red pepper flakes if you want

Method:
Rinse clean mussels under running cold water, scrub if needed. Discard any broken shells or any that will not close when tapped. If not already cleaned and debearded remove the “beard” or brown tab typically found on the side of the shell.
 In a large stock pot, or Dutch oven , in the oil, sauté the shallots, garlic over a medium high flame for 1-2 minutes. Add the wine, vinegar and red pepper flakes (if using them).  Add the mussels and cover, bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low. As the mussels cook, they will release their flavored water into the pot. Cook until the shells have opened, and the mussels are just cooked, 5 to 7 minutes. Try not to overcook, or they will be rubbery and not so good.



Once the mussels are cooked, carefully remove them from the pot to a bowl. Discard any shells that did not open. Sprinkle with the fresh parsley.

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Mmm still steaming and oh-so-garlicky-good!

Bring the cooking liquid to a simmer and whisk some butter and the cream. Season with salt and pepper, to taste, and stir in the tarragon, add the flour if it needs to be thickened a little. Pour the mixture over the mussels and serve immediately with crusty bread.

Dig in and enjoy! Make sure you dip the bread to sop up all that wonderful goodness!

31 comments:

  1. Happy Saturday,Lyndsey!That dish sounds delicious....I make something similar with clams....I would love to try this one!

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  2. Oh boy! I love steamed mussels. I haven't had them quite a while and by looking at your photo, I am so craving. Love the crusty bread soaking in the broth. To die for, isn't it?

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  3. One of our favourite dishes and at this time of the year they are very cheap here. Love them. Have a good Sunday. Diane

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    1. Thanks Diane, they are very reasonable here too. I guess we are lucky!

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  4. Looks delicious! Pity mussels are so expensive and we only have the frozen ones here!

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    1. Oh that is a shame. I didn't realize that they were so expensive over there. They were $4 a pound all cleaned and ready to go. I know you have things that we can't get very cheap here. :)

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  5. I agree - it's a lot easier to make than you think, and so impressive and delicious!

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  6. I usually prefer the taste of Manila Clams over Mussels so I make similar dish with manila clams. But I have to say mussels look a lot more appetizing and I would love to try your version with cream and tarragon next. Sounds fantastic!

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    1. Sounds good too, I do like the clam and oyster steam pots!

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  7. un vrai régal, j'aime beaucoup
    bonne soirée

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  8. Lyndsey, sorry for not stopping by sooner...we've had so much distraction on the 'beach scene' up till this morning, hopefully the ocean will calm down now, after wiping away 90% of the beach, with ocean water streaming through our pool area, gushing into the parking lot along with debris. (I seriously thought our cars were going to be washed away from the parking lot if this keeps up)

    Anyway, getting back to your post...awesome steamed clams, love your recipe which is quite similar to mine, but I omit the cream when I use fresh or canned diced tomatoes in place of the cream, which I don't thicken, just leave it natural. Yours turned out perfect, succulent, and I'm totally craving it now...just making sure I would buy it at our local seafood market, and not from Publix...no offense, but some seafoods are better from your local seafood market, even though they are more expensive:)

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    1. Now worries Elisabeth, I certainly understand. I don't get around to everyone as soon as I would like to. It sounds like you got a lot more of Sandy weather than we did. Hope you stay in one piece!

      I do agree with you, I don't get my seafood at Publix. I do have a nice place to get the best fresh sea food. But I did pick these up at Whole Foods, the mussles were great here...not a bad on in the bunch :)

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  9. that sounds just delicious. I love the juicy sweetness of fresh seafood, and your eally need nothing else but gentle steaming to get the best out of them. And in terms of prices, well shellfish really are great value for money compared to the more expensive, overpriced fishes or prawns. yum!

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  10. Lyndsey, your gorgeous mussels are almost my moules à la marinière! White wine, shallots, herbs... This is my favourite way to cook mussels and I don't even need to cover the pot, they are heated so well, they open up even without it.
    I also always mention how to discard bad mussels before and after cooking. Mussels season has started here, so I think I will be making them this weekend. It's so easy and so rewarding. Thank you for reminding me of these lovely creatures :-)

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  11. Wow Lindsey, this mussels are calling my name...they look so flavorful and yes I love to dip my bread into this tasty sauce...yum!
    Thanks for the recipe and have a great week :)

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  12. as always I wish I could join you for dinner! My hubby doesn't care for much seafood other than fish so I'd have to make the whole pot for myself. oh, that sounds good too. :)

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  13. Hi Lyndsey, your mussels dish look awesome.

    Have a nice week ahead.

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  14. Like you I have never made mussels. Thanks for the encouragement. They do sound easy and look so good.

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  15. Hi Lyndsey, I love the addition of tarragon in this delightful white wine sauce. There was a time when I ate mussels every couple of weeks - I couldn't get enough. And then... I got pregnant and it was one of those unpredictable and weird things but it completely turned me off them ;(. I can eat them a 'little' now but it's never fully come back... how odd and too bad... especially when I look at this recipe. It looks wonderful!

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  16. This post is SO encouraging! I've been wanting to try cooking mussels for so long, but the whole cleaning process and "how the heck do you cook them?" thing was slowing me down. Thanks for the info that WF sells them already cleaned!! AND thanks for showing how easy it is! They look wonderful!!

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  17. this sounds wonderful! it has been a long time i last had mussels and i never eaten it this way. Another kind of mussels that we can get locally is clams, i usually just make a simple stir fry with chilli or ginger and onions.

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  18. My husband is a big fan of mussels and he orders them whenever they are in the menu. These look perfect!

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  19. Honestly, I'm not a fan of this mussels but I prefer clam. Of coz, mussel is more meaty and they're bigger too. haha... I would probably stir fry them with loads of chili & preserved soybean. Yummm.....
    Hope you're going to have a wonderful weekend. Hope the storm won't get any nearer. Take care.
    Blessings, Kristy
    p/s will write soon.

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  20. I'm always in awe of how cheap mussels are for seeming so fancy! Love what you did with them!

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  21. You're braver than me! Hell, I only tasted mussels for the first time last month. I was assured they've very difficult to do right so well done, darling!

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