Moules Marinière

Tags

cream, french classic, garlic, mussels, parsley, wine

Mussels with wine, cream, garlic and parsley. A quintessential French bistro dish.

Examine mussels before using. If they’re gritty or have lots of beards (it’ll look like bits of hair coming out from between their shells), scrub them well under cold water and pull out the beards by grabbing them and pulling towards the hinge-end of the mussels. Farm-raised mussels are generally quite clean when they are sold. Discard any cracked mussels or open mussels that don’t close when tapped with another mussel.

Serves 2

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 shallots, finely chopped
4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 kg / 2 pounds mussels, cleaned
1 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1/2 bunch fresh parsley, chopped
Kosher salt
Crusty baguette, to serve

Preparation:

Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat
Add the shallots and garlic and cook until softened, about 5 minutes
Add the mussels, wine and butter, and season well with salt
Give it a good stir, cover the pot, and cook until mussels open and are cooked through, about 5 minutes
Add the cream and the chopped parsley and remove from the heat
Spoon into two large warmed bowls and serve with lots of crusty bread
Enjoy!

 

 

 

Moules et Praires Provençale- mussels and clams with tomatoes, garlic,olive oil and wine

Tags

clams, mussels, tomatoes, white wine

 

Serve with warm baguette and a nice chilled glass of white or rosé. You can do the recipe with just mussels or use a combination of mussels and small clams. Remember that clams take a little longer to cook than mussels so add the clams first if using.

Serves 4 as an appetizer or 2 as a main course

Ingredients:

750 g / 1 1/2 pounds fresh mussels or half mussels, half clams
250 ml / 1 cup dry white wine
4 garlic cloves, crushed
2 bay leaves
4 shallots, chopped
1 can (794 g / 28 oz ) tomatoes, drained
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped

Preparation:

Scrub, clean and beard the mussels and clams
Discard any open ones
In a large pot, add the wine, garlic, shallots, bay leaf and bring to the boil
Add the clams, cover and cook until the clams open, about 3  minutes
Add the mussels and cook another 2 to 3 minutes until the mussels open
Remove from heat
Remove the mussels and clams , discard any that did not open and keep warm
Strain the cooking liquid to remove any traces of sand
Return the liquid to the pot and add the tomatoes and red pepper flakes
Bring to the boil, cook for 5 minutes
Stir in the olive oil
Return the mussels and clams to the pot and give it all a good shake
Sprinkle with parsley
Enjoy!

Halibut with mussels and chorizo

Tags

chorizo, cod, fiesta friday, fish, halibut, mussels, potatoes, red snapper, spanish

This dish of fish, sausage and potatoes is a classic Spanish combination, earthy and bursting with flavour at the same time. I used halibut here but red snapper, sea bass, grouper or even cod can be substituted.

Serves 4

Ingredients:

500 g / 1 pound mussels, cleaned
1/4 cup dry white wine
1/4 cup water
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 large potatoes, peeled and sliced, (about 1/4 inch / 5 mm)
1 piece chorizo, cut into about 16 slices (about 170 g / 6 oz)
1 medium onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, crushed
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 halibut fillets (170 g / 6 oz each)
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley

Preparation:

Preheat the oven to 200 C / 400 F
Place the water and wine in a large saucepan
Add the mussels, cover and boil for 3 to 4 minutes, until the mussels open
Drain and keep the liquid, strain to remove any bits of sand and grit
Discard any mussels that did not open
Remove and discard the tops of the shells
Pour the reserved and strained liquid over the mussels and set aside
Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat
Add the sliced potatoes and chorizo
Cook for about 10 minutes, until lightly golden and tender
Add the onion and garlic
Stir in the reserved mussels and liquid
Bring to the boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 3 minutes
Add salt and pepper to taste
Meanwhile rub the fish fillets with olive oil
Arrange on a tray and place in the oven
Bake for about 10 minutes, depending on the thickness of the fish
Place some potatoes, chorizo, mussels in a deep plate
Arrange a fish fillet on top and sprinkle with parsley
Enjoy!