Moule Marinere is a favorite dish we love to order at a French restaurant in San Francisco. My husband was determined to replicate the flavors of this dish and spent countless attempts perfecting his recipe for Mussels in White Wine Sauce. His persistence paid off, as he could match and even surpass the quality of the mussels we typically order from Chez Maman in San Francisco. The recipe features fresh mussels swimming in a deliciously buttery and oniony white wine sauce that will leave you slurping up every last drop.
This recipe is an absolute must-try if you’re a fan of fresh seafood, garlic, butter, white wine, and crusty French bread! And guess what? It’s crazy easy to make and tastes like something you’d get at a fancy restaurant. Seriously, you won’t be disappointed.
I enjoy making a delicious dinner, and I’m sharing several of our family’s favorite recipes lately. Take a look at these that I rounded up for you.
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Why You’ll Love This Mussels Recipe
- The combination of fresh mussels, garlic, butter, and white wine creates a deliciously savory and aromatic broth that complements the flavor of the mussels perfectly.
- This simple recipe is so easy and quick to make!
- It requires very few ingredients.
- Taste like something ordered at an expensive French restaurant.
- Not many cooking skills are needed!
- If you love onion soup, then your love this white wine broth.
Seafood Prep and Info
You’ll find these tips helpful if you’re new to seafood and don’t know the first thing about mussels.
Choosing Mussels: You’ll find a few types at your grocery store.
Blue Mussels are Canada’s most commonly cultivated mussel and are found on the Atlantic coast. These mussels have a sweet, delicate flavor and are often used in Moules Marinières.
Green Mussels, also known as Green-lipped Mussels, are native to New Zealand and cultivated in Canada. They have a firmer texture and a slightly sweeter taste than Blue Mussels.
Prince Edward Island is famous for its high-quality Blue Mussels, a type of mussel commonly found along the Atlantic coast of North America. These mussels are grown in the cool, nutrient-rich waters surrounding the island and are known for their plump, juicy meat and sweet, delicate flavor. We absolutely love Prince Edward Island mussels, and sometimes our local Whole Foods or Lunardi grocery stores carry them.
Storing Mussels: Take them out of the plastic bag when you get them home. This suffocates them, and they need air to breathe.
If you are short on time, wash and place them on a tray or shallow bowl and cover with a damp kitchen towel and place them in the refrigerator. During a couple of hours, they will spit out sand and debris. You can put them in salt water and leave them overnight, but store them in your refrigerator. Also, the salt water should taste like seawater.
Washing the Mussels:
Wash them with cold tap water and scrub the sand, dirt, and debris. If they are farmed, they aren’t too dirty, but I still like removing the sand and grime.
Ingredients:
- Fresh Live Mussels
- Bottle of Dry White Wine (Sauvignon Blanc or a Chardonnay- Cheap Wine is Fine to Use)
- Onions
- Olive Oil
- Garlic
- Butter
- Salt
- Pepper
- Lemon Juice
Directions:
Step 1 – Scrub Mussels
Scrub and clean the mussel shells with cool running water. Place cleaned mussels in a large pan or large shallow bowl. Make sure not to stack them too high.
Step 2 – Prepare Mussels
Next, use a damp paper towel or kitchen towel to cover the mussels. Allow the mussels to spit out their debris for a couple of hours. Place them in the refrigerator or a really cold part of your house.
Step 3 – Prep Vegetables
Chop the onions and garlic.
Step 4 – Make the White Wine Garlic Sauce Broth
Saute (over medium heat) the onions in a large pan. Cook onions until they are translucent and brown.
Add wine and garlic and bring to a boil. Then simmer for about ten minutes.
Step 5 – Drain and Add Mussels
Drain mussels from the fluid they spit out. You can rinse them again under cold water. Place mussels in the onion wine broth and cook over medium heat until mussels open. Stir mussels so that the yummy broth coats the meat. If some of the mussels haven’t opened after a bit, cover the pan to steam the mussels.
Step 6 – Add Butter and Lemon Juice
After the mussels have opened and are cooked, add the butter and lemon juice. If you want more lemon flavor, add a bit of lemon zest too.
Have you ever tried making mussels in white wine sauce at home? It’s surprisingly easy and doesn’t require too many ingredients. Plus, it’s always impressive to serve guests.
Things to Serve with Mussels:
French Fries
Garlic Bread
A Glass of White Wine
Green salad
Red Potatoes
Add Ons
- A lemon wedge for each person to add lemon juice if they choose.
- Sprinkle some fresh parsley.
How to tell if your mussels are bad and need to be thrown out
Open Shells
Cracked Shells
Also, when your mussels are cooked, I recommend you don’t eat the unopened mussels.
Mussels in White Wine Sauce
Ingredients
- 2 lbs Mussels Can use three pounds if you like
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 2 onions Finely chopped
- ¼ cup garlic chopped
- ¾ bottle dry white wine
- 1 cup butter
- 1 juice of a lemon
- 1 tsp salt
- ¼ tsp ground pepper
Instructions
Prep Mussels
- Scrub and clean the mussel shells with cool running water. Place cleaned mussels in a large pan or large shallow bowl. Make sure not to stack them too high.
- Next, use damp paper or a kitchen towel to cover the mussels. Allow the mussels to spit out their debris for a couple of hours. Place them in the refrigerator or a cold part of your house.
Prep Vegetables
- Chop the onions and garlic.
Make the Wine Broth
- Saute (over medium heat) the onions and olive oil in a large pan. Cook onions until they are translucent and brown.Next, add wine and garlic and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for about ten minutes.
Add Mussels
- Rinse and drain mussels from the fluid they spit out.Place mussels in the onion wine broth and increase heat to medium. Cook until mussels open. Stir mussels so that the broth coats the meat. If some of the mussels haven’t opened after a bit, cover the pan to steam the mussels.
Final Additions
- After the mussels have opened and are cooked, add the butter and lemon juice. If you want more lemon flavor to your broth, add a bit of lemon zest too.
- Salt and pepper to taste.
- Serve hot.
Nutrition
How to Serve Mussels
Since you want a fair amount of the yummy onion wine broth, you’ll want to serve it in a big bowl. Place your rustic bread in the bowl since everyone will want to dunk it in the broth.
At Chez Maman, they serve the skinny fries that they call frites. They are the best with the moules and lemon aioli sauce. So, so yummy!
The best-steamed mussels since the simple ingredients of butter, garlic, and caramelized garlic make the best French dinner.
This delicious dinner is great on those busy weeknights. If you prepare the mussels in the morning and allow them to sit and spit out the sand, then you’re ready to make the soup base in the evening. That only takes a couple of minutes to prepare.
Do a classic pairing of a salad and have plenty of crusty bread on hand for dipping in the saucy goodness of white wine, butter, and onions. It makes a glorious easy dinner mid-week.
For a dinner party, make this delicious recipe as an appetizer or a main course. Follow it up with a lovely dessert with coffee, and you’ll have some happy guests.
Enjoy this wonderful French recipe!
Bon Apetit,
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