French Recipe: How To Cook The Perfect Moules Marinières!

Surely no trip to France over the summer months would be complete without a delicious dish of mussels? The scrumptious combination of fresh seafood, wine and a large hunk of crusty baguette is a match made in heaven, and whilst this recipe is certain to wow any guests, it is also surprisingly easy to make for yourself at home.

Ingredients

Serves 2 

  • 1kg of fresh mussels (you will be able to buy these from your local fishmonger)
  • 1 garlic clove, finely chopped
  • 2 shallots, finely chopped
  • 2 sprigs of thyme leaves
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 150ml dry white wine
  • 15g butter
  • 100ml double cream
  • A small bunch of finely chopped parsley

Method

Rinse the mussels under a cold running tap and give them a good scrub to remove any dirt or barnacles. Discard any that will not close when given a sharp tap on a surface.

Pull out ‘the beards’ (the tough, fibrous material that mussels use to attach themselves to rocks). Give them another quick wash to get rid of any broken shell and then leave to sit in cold water for a couple of hours until you are ready to cook them.

Soften the garlic and shallots with the butter, along with the thyme leaves and bay leaf in a large pan. Add the mussels and wine, turn up the heat and then cover and let the mussels steam in their own juices for 4 minutes. Give the pan a good shake every 30 seconds whilst they are doing so.

Add the cream and chopped parsley, then remove the pan from the heat.

Spoon into a large bowl and enjoy with a large hunk of crusty bread to mop up the sauce!