Meet the mussels Marinière: a true French “fast food” that came from the fishing villages of Normandy to the best restaurants in Paris. One of the easiest dishes, the key to which is simple – mussels must be fresh. Fresh mussels are heavy, filled with sea water, closed and do not have a “fishy” smell. And don’t forget to chill the cider or wine that left from cooking 😊
- Prep time: 20 minutes
- Cook time: 15 minutes
- Serves: 4
- Difficulty: easy
- Course: main course
- Cookware: large thick bottom frying pan
- Cuisine: French
Ingredients
- 1,5 kg large mussels in shells
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 leek, finely chopped
- 2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
- 200 ml dry white wine / apple cider
- 150 ml cream (20%)
- ground white pepper
- salt to taste
- 1/4 bunch of parsley, finely chopped
- 1/4 bunch of basil, finely chopped
Cooking method
Step 1
If the mussels are just collected and not cleaned yet for cooking, then remove any gnarls and rip away the ‘beard’ (water plant).
Step 2
Pour olive oil into a large frying pan, add leeks and garlic and sauté over medium heat for 5 minutes.
Step 3
Add mussels and wine to a frying pan with leeks and garlic. Bring to a simmer over medium heat and then add cream, salt, and pepper. Mix well and let stand over the fire for 10 minutes. All shells should open up. Finally, sprinkle with parsley and basil, stir well and remove from heat.
My tips and tricks:
In order to occasionally change the taste of your favourite recipe, try playing with herbs. For example, basil and parsley can be substituted with thyme and bay leaf (only in this case, put them in a prying pan with mussels), or make any combination of these herbs. And you can also replace olive oil with butter, or, to achieve a completely homemade French taste, replace half the volume of wine in the recipe with sea water.
Konstantin Vidoborenko’s wine recommendations:
Mussels, like a lot of other seafood, have a specific taste, so the wine should be neutral enough with good acidity to refresh the receptors with every sip and emphasize the seafood taste of the mussels. I recommend Muscadet Sevre et Maine, a French dry white wine from the Loire Valley. Fresh, mineral, with light citrus notes, a hint of iodine, and invigorating acidity, this wine will be an excellent pair to mussels.
- 1,5 kg large mussels in shells
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 leek, finely chopped
- 2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
- 200 ml dry white wine / apple cider
- 150 ml cream (20%)
- ground white pepper
- salt to taste
- ¼ bunch of parsley, finely chopped
- ¼ bunch of basil, finely chopped
- If the mussels are just collected and not cleaned yet for cooking, then remove any gnarls and rip away the ‘beard’ (water plant).
- Pour olive oil into a large frying pan, add leeks and garlic and sauté over medium heat for 5 minutes.
- Add mussels and wine to a frying pan with leeks and garlic. Bring to a simmer over medium heat and then add cream, salt, and pepper. Mix well and let stand over the fire for 10 minutes. All shells should open up. Finally, sprinkle with parsley and basil, stir well and remove from heat.