The sight of a big bowl of moules marinieres is a joy to behold! I love the gleaming black of the mussels with a glimpse of orange flesh, and steam furling upwards. Cooked in minutes, and devoured in minutes, the ultimate fast food!Simple to make, but so tasty to eat, a good reward to effort ratio!
Ingredients
2kg mussels
2 onions chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
4 tablespoons fresh parsley
250 ml dry white wine
30 g unsalted butter
a few tablespoons of double cream (to taste)
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Clean the mussels in plenty of cold water. One by one scrape of any barnacles and remove the "beard". Discard any that don't close when tapped, or any with broken shells. Drain and set aside. Never leave mussels in fresh water as it will kill them.
Now in a very large pan, gently and briefly fry the onions and the chopped garlic, enough to soften but not to colour. Add half the chopped parsley, a little black pepper and the white wine. Now add the mussels, shake the pan well. Place a firm fitting lid on, and cook over the highest of heats for as long as it takes for all the mussels to open. The time will depend on the size of the gas burner and the size of the pan.
Remove the mussels with a slotted spoon into a large bowl and keep warm. Immediately boil down the liquid left in the pan, reducing by half. Whisk in the butter, add the cream and pour back in the mussels. Garnish with the remaining parsley, season with a little salt and black pepper and serve immediately.
In France and Belgium, moules marinieres is traditionally served with a plate of thin frites (french fries), alternatively a good crusty bread can be used to mop up those fabulous juices.
Great as a family meal, or just a quick supper.Enjoy the scent of the sea!
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