20-Minute Mussels with White Wine Sauce
Have you ever wondered how to cook mussels? Spoiler alert: it's super easy! We'll show you how to choose, store, clean, and cook mussels. Plus, we share our favorite garlic white wine mussels recipe. Are you ready to learn how to prepare mussels? Let's do this!
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons butter, olive oil for dairy-free
- 1 small shallot, thinly sliced
- 3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
- 2 bay leaves
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 cup dry white wine
- 4 lb mussels, cleaned
- Optional: ¼ cup heavy cream, see notes
- Juice from ½ lemon
- 2 tablespoons finely minced parsley
Instructions
Prepare the Mussels
- Working with one mussel at a time, first check to make sure that it is tightly closed. If it's open, tap it on your counter. If it doesn't close, it means the mussel has died and must be discarded. Next, rinse the shell under cool running water and scrub it gently to remove debris. Make sure to keep the bowl of mussels on the counter as you don't want it to fill with water.
- If there is something that looks like some hair (see the picture in the post) in the mussel, this is the beard. It's a bit of the rope that they were grown on and should be removed before cooking. To remove the beard, or de-beard the mussels, grab the beard and pull it towards the tail (narrow) end of the mussel. Most of the time it will come out with a firm tug. If not, you can cut it with a pair of scissors as close to the shell as possible.
- Once the mussels are clean, put them into a bowl and set them aside on your counter while you prepare the white wine sauce.
Mussels in White Wine
- Melt the butter in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the shallot and garlic and let them cook for 3 minutes. Add the bay leaves, pepper, and wine to the pot and bring the wine to a boil.2 tablespoons butter, 1 small shallot, 3 cloves garlic, 2 bay leaves, ½ teaspoon black pepper, 1 cup dry white wine
- Add the mussels and cover the pot. After three minutes, take the lid off and gently stir the mussels. Try to push any shells that are unopened to the bottom of the pot so they are closer to the heat. After 5 minutes remove the mussels from the heat. Discard any mussels that have not opened.4 lb mussels
- Pour the cream (if using) and the lemon juice into the sauce and gently mix. Sprinkle the parsley over the top and serve right away.Optional: ¼ cup heavy cream, Juice from ½ lemon, 2 tablespoons finely minced parsley
Notes
Pot selection: Choose a large pot with a tight-fitting lid. Once opened, mussels will take up about ⅓ more space in the pot. I use the pot pictured; it's a 5 QT (4.7 L) braiser that is so pretty we can use it to serve the mussels.
To make this dairy-free: you can use cashew cream instead of whipping cream. To make it, combine ⅓ cup of raw cashews with 1 cup of water, and blend on high until smooth. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve before using.
How many mussels should be served per person? When you're planning to cook mussels, you'll want to consider the quantity. Here's how to calculate it: For a main course, I recommend serving 1 lb of mussels per person. If you're serving mussels as an appetizer, plan for ½ lb of mussels per person.
Alcohol-free: To make mussels without alcohol, you can use vegetable broth, seafood broth, or chicken broth. Or better yet, try my coconut curry mussels!
Serving: 1 serving = ¼ of the recipe, Calories: 261kcal, Carbohydrates: 12g, Protein: 28g, Fat: 5g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 66mg, Sodium: 674mg, Potassium: 826mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 1g, Vitamin A: 387IU, Vitamin C: 20mg, Calcium: 82mg, Iron: 9mg