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It’s nice every now and then to make yourself a restaurant-worthy meal at home. And, it’s even better when you can make a restaurant-worthy, dare I say “fancy” meal in just a matter of minutes! This is one of the reasons I LOVE cooking drunken mussels.
A steaming bowl of mussels in a delicious, savory broth with some crusty bread to dip in it…paired with an amazing glass of white wine. What a meal! This mussels recipe is one of my favorites because it’s super easy, a total crowd-pleaser, and yummy every single time. Marlowe is my shellfish lover in the family, and gobbles up these mussels too! Whip up these mussels to take yourself on a little trip to France without even leaving the house.
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DRUNKEN MUSSELS NOTES…
PURCHASING LIVE MUSSELS:
Live mussels will suffocate if you leave them in a bag with no oxygen, so make sure that the market or fishmonger places them in either a net bag, or a bag with poked holes in it, for breathability. It’s always a good idea to also ask whoever you purchase them from about freshness, so you can gauge when would be best to eat them by. (I usually try to eat mussels no later than the day after purchasing, but I’m also just deathly terrified of food poisoning, LOL).
STORING LIVE MUSSELS:
When you get home, transfer the mussels to a colander, cover the top of the colander with a cold damp towel, and place it in the fridge until you’re ready to cook the recipe.
GENERAL NOTES:
- This recipe can easily be doubled if you’re feeding more people!
- Make sure not to overcook the mussels…as soon as they’re opened they can be removed from the pot!
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Ingredients…
(Makes 2 servings)
- 2lbs live Mussels
- 2 tbsp Unsalted Butter
- 1 Leek, thinly sliced (white and light green parts only)
- 1 Shallot, thinly sliced
- 5 Cloves Garlic, thinly sliced
- 2 Bay Leaves
- 1 cup White Wine
- 2 tbsp Unsweetened Non-Dairy Creamer, (if you eat dairy, you can use heavy cream or half and half as a substitute!)
- 1 Lemon, zested and juiced
- 2 tbsp fresh Parsley, minced
- Salt, to taste
- Pepper, to taste
- 1 loaf of Rustic Sourdough Bread, sliced 1” thick, with a drizzle of EVOO on top
Step 1
Prep the Mussels
Preheat your oven to 450º F. Examine the mussels one by one. If the shells are gritty, scrub them of debris. If they have beards (the little bits of clumpy hair that stick out from between their shells), hold the shell with a kitchen towel, for grip, and grab the beard with your fingers, pulling towards the hinge of the shell until it comes off. Discard the beards. Next, tap each open shell with a knife; live mussels will react by slowly closing their shells to protect themselves. Any mussel that doesn’t close after a few taps is probably dead, so it’s best to discard.
Step 2
Sauté Vegetables
Melt 1 tbsp of butter in a large saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the leek, shallot, garlic, and bay leaves to the pan, and season with salt and pepper, stirring every few minutes until the vegetables are softened (about 8-10 minutes).
Step 3
Steam Mussels
Add your bread to the oven and toast until nicely browned and crunchy. Add the wine to the pan, increasing the flame to high and bringing the mixture to a boil. Allow the wine to reduce by half, (about 2 minutes). Add the mussels to the pan, cover with a lid, and cook, shaking the pan continually, for about 2-3 minutes, checking under the lid every 30 seconds. The mussels are ready when all shells have opened wide. Turn off the stove, transfer the mussels to a bowl with tongs, but leave the broth in the pan.
Step 3
Add Cream
Add the remaining butter to the broth with the creamer. Re-add the mussels back to the pot with the lemon juice, lemon zest, and parsley. Transfer the mussels and the broth to a serving bowl, and enjoy with your crunchy bread and a glass of wine!
Drunken Mussels
Equipment
- A Covered Saucepan
Ingredients
- 2lbs Live Mussels, debearded and scrubbed
- 2 tbsp Unsalted Butter
- 1 Leek, thinly sliced
- 1 Shallot, thinly sliced
- 2 Bay Leaves
- 1 cup White Wine, I used an Albarino, since it has a nice mineral taste which complements the mussels.
- 2 tbsp Unsweetened Oat Creamer, if you eat dairy, you can use heavy cream or half and half as a substitute!
- 1 Lemon, zested and juiced
- 2 tbsp fresh Parsley, minced
- Salt, to taste
- Pepper, to taste
- 1 slice Rustic Sourdough Bread, 1” thick, with a drizzle of EVOO on top
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 450º F. Examine the mussels one by one. If the shells are gritty, scrub them of debris. If they have beards (the little bits of clumpy hair that stick out from between their shells), hold the shell with a kitchen towel, for grip, and grab the beard with your fingers, pulling towards the hinge of the shell until it comes off. Discard the beards. Next, tap each open shell with a knife; live mussels will react by slowly closing their shells to protect themselves. Any mussel that doesn’t close after a few taps is probably dead, so its best to discard.
- Melt 1 tbsp of butter in a large saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the leek, shallot, garlic, and bay leaves to the pan, and season with salt and pepper, stirring every few minutes until the vegetables are softened (about 8-10 minutes).
- Add your bread to the oven and toast until nicely browned and crunchy. Add the wine to the pan, increasing the flame to high and bringing the mixture to a boil. Allow the wine to reduce by half, (about 2 minutes). Add the mussels to the pan, cover with a lid, and cook, shaking the pan continually, for about 2-3 minutes, checking under the lid every 30 seconds. The mussels are ready when all shells have opened wide. Turn off the stove, transfer the mussels to a bowl with tongs, but leave the broth in the pan.
- Add the remaining butter to the broth with the creamer. Re-add the mussels back to the pot with the lemon juice, lemon zest, and parsley. Transfer the mussels and the the broth to a serving bowl, and enjoy with your crunchy bread and a glass of wine!
Nutrition
Photographs by Julia Dags | Happily Eva After, Inc. © 2021 All Rights Reserved
