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Prep time
10 minutes
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Cook time
20 minutes
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Serves
4
Author Notes
Turner Fisheries, a restaurant in the Westin Hotel in Boston, used to offer this dish as one of its regular specials. I liked to share a bucket with a friend, along with a delicious house salad and a bottle of Sonoma-Cutrer Russian River Ranches Chardonnay. These are so easy and delicious they've become a Friday night staple at Chez Julia. —ChefJune
Test Kitchen Notes
WHO: ChefJune is a chef and writer based in New York.
WHAT: A dish special enough for a dinner party, and quick enough for a Monday night.
HOW: Sauté onion and shallot, then get mussels steaming with wine, cream, and aromatics.
WHY WE LOVE IT: These mussels take us to a Paris bistro — and they get to the table in under twenty minutes. Add a loaf of crusty bread and a glass of wine, and we’re over the moon. —The Editors
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Ingredients
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1 tablespoon
butter
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1/4 cup
finely chopped yellow onions
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2 tablespoons
finely chopped shallots
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1 teaspoon
finely chopped garlic
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3 quarts
mussels, beards removed, cleaned and scrubbed (but you can't do this in advance!)
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1 teaspoon
sea salt
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Freshly ground pepper, to taste
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1
bay leaf
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2 sprigs
fresh thyme, or 1/2 teaspoon dried
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1/4 cup
dry white wine
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1/2 cup
heavy cream
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2 tablespoons
Dijon mustard (I use Fallot)
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2 tablespoons
finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
Directions
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Heat the butter in a large saucepan until melted. Add the onions, shallots and garlic, and cook briefly, until wilted. Do not brown.
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Add the mussels, salt, pepper, bay leaf, thyme, white wine, and cream. Cover closely and bring to a boil. Cook for about 5 minutes, shaking to redistribute the mussels. Cook until all the mussels are opened.
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Using a slotted spoon, transfer the mussels to a serving bowl. Keep warm. Continue cooking the sauce for a minute, remove bay leaf and the thyme. Stir in the mustard with a wire whisk while heating. Do not boil.
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Season sauce to taste with salt if necessary, then spoon equal portions of it over the mussels, and sprinkle with parsley. Serve immediately with crusty bread.
30+ years a chef, educator, writer, consultant, "winie," travel guide/coordinator
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