Mussels in white wine & creamy garlic sauce
June 29, 2017
: 2
: 30 min
: 15 min
: 45 min
: easy
Inspired by a visit to Brussels and a feast of delicious mussels at a beautiful restaurant, I cook this as the Finnish spring starts to emerge - right through until the end of summer. Don't be tempted to use anything other than full cream or you end up with a milky, thin sauce. Also, you can pre steam the mussels in a separate pot for a few minutes before throwing them into the main pot. They tend to retain sea water and too much of this in your sauce makes it, well, inedible. I speak from experience. Remember the rule:if the mussels are open before cooking = discard, if closed after cooking =discard. Serve with a chilled white (I like Kung Fu reisling) & enjoy!
Ingredients
- 1 kg cleaned mussels
- 30-50 grams butter
- 1TB olive oil
- 1 finely chopped onion
- 2-3 cloves crushed garlic
- 150 mls cream
- 150 mls white wine
- freshly chopped parsley
Directions
- Step 1 Rinse the mussels in cold water and discard any that are cracked or open.
- Step 2 Melt the butter/oil in a large pot and add the chopped onion and crushed garlic – cook until soft.
- Step 3 In a separate pot, presteam the mussels for a few minutes – just long enough to release the majority of seawater (add a small of water to the pot so as not to burn it). Drain liquid off and then add the mussels to the onion & butter mixture. Give them a good shake around the pot & cover with lid for 5 mins or so & then add the wine & cook for a further 5 minutes.
- Step 4 Remove mussels to an oven proof dish and keep in a warm oven – approx 100:C.
- Step 5 Turn the heat up, add the cream & stir for a few minutes.
- Step 6 Return the mussels to the pot and stir to cover them in the sauce.
- Step 7 Serve in a large bowl with freshly chopped parsley & a crusty loaf of bread to soak up all the delicious juices.