This recipe is very simple, but it comes with such a big wow factor. If you are nervous about making mussels, this needs to be your go-to recipe. It is made with accessible ingredients and easy to follow steps. Whether this is a date night main dish or an appetizer for a party, these are going to be a huge hit!
Look for some that are tightly closed and that look and smell fresh and like the sea. If any of them are open or have a funky smell, move along.Try to buy them as close to when you will be cooking them as possible. They can be stored in the fridge for a day or two, but you may lose some if they die during that time so buy a few extra than you think you will need. Discard any broken or open mussels. If there is a mussel that is slightly open (before cooking), tap it with your finger. If it doesn’t close right away, this means it is dead and should be thrown away. Store them in a cool area where they can breathe. Do not put them in an airtight container, covered in plastic, or in water.When fresh mussels aren’t available, buy frozen. If you live in a rural area and it is hard to get fresh seafood, use frozen mussels.
Garlic only takes about 30 seconds to saute, so it is important that before it meets the heat, you are ready with whatever comes next. If you did happen to burn your garlic, you will want to toss the butter and the burnt garlic. Clean the skillet really well. Then start over. The taste of burnt garlic will overpower the dish in a really bad way, so it’s best to cut your losses and start the dish over.
We used Pinot Grigio. It has a really mild flavor that is perfect in this dish, and so many others. It also pairs really well with the meal itself.Do not use cooking wine. The flavor of wine intensifies when you cook with it, so you want to pick a wine you’d want to drink. Cooking wine is often vinegar based and won’t add the flavor you are looking for to the dish.There is no need to break the bank. You can buy an inexpensive drinking wine for this recipe. You won’t notice the difference between this and an expensive bottle in the final dish.If you aren’t a wine drinker, consider buying a four pack of small bottles. This way you can use them just for cooking and not waste the majority of a bottle after using just one cup in this.The wine can be replaced. If you are serving someone who is sober or you don’t cook with alcohol, replace the wine with 1 cup of chicken stock and 2 teaspoons of lemon juice.
Alternatively, these are delicious over fettuccine as seen below. Boil some pasta while the mussels are cooking, and then spoon some of the sauce from the mussels over the noodles. Add some mussels on top and enjoy!
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If you try this mussels recipe or any of my others, leave a comment and tell me what you think. I love hearing from you and how you enjoy my recipes!
