Moules marinières (French mussels in white wine)
A big pot of mussels steamed open in dry white wine with shallots, garlic and parsley, in ten minutes once they are cleaned. Spoon the briny, buttery juices over everything at the table, and put out an empty bowl for the shells.
- Time
- 37 min (25 prep + 12 cook)
- Servings
- 4
- Per serving
- 347 kcal
- Protein
- 37 g
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 tbsp butter
- 3 medium shallots, finely chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 5 1/4 lb in the shell mussels, scrubbed and debearded; discard any that are broken or stay open when tapped
- 3/4 cup + 2 tbsp white wine, dry, such as Muscadet
- 1/2 tsp black pepper, freshly ground
- 1/3 cup fresh parsley, chopped
Steps
- Melt the butter in a very large, wide pot with a lid over medium heat. Add the shallots and garlic and cook for 3 minutes, until soft but not coloured.
- Turn the heat to high. Tip in the mussels, pour in the wine, add the pepper and cover tightly. Cook for 5–6 minutes, shaking the pot or stirring once or twice, until the shells have opened and the meat is opaque and firm (145°F).
- Scatter over the parsley and toss. Throw away any mussels that have stayed shut.
- Ladle the mussels and their juices into deep bowls, leaving the last spoonful of liquid in the pot, since any grit settles there. Add no salt: the mussels bring plenty. Serve at once, with lemon wedges at the table and an empty bowl for the shells.
Good to know
What do I serve with them?
Fries are the classic (moules-frites), and a piece of baguette for the juices is the simple option. Neither is counted in this recipe.
How do I know a mussel is alive before cooking?
It should be closed, or close within a minute when you tap it on the counter. Cook them the day you buy them and keep them in the fridge under a damp cloth until then, never in water.
Alternative
Per
- Calories
- 130
- Protein
- (47%)
- 14 g
- Fat
- (31%)
- 4 g
- Carbohydrates
- (22%)
- 7 g
- of which sugar
- 1 g
- Fiber
- <1 g
- Sodium
- 223 mg
About 65% of the alcohol remains after cooking; the label counts only that.
More meals
Computed from the ingredients with our published formula, not yet kitchen-tested. General guidance, not medical advice. Talk to your prescriber. How
As written, 1388 kcal goes into the pot and 950 g of ingredients comes out as about 1065 g of food: 130 kcal per 100 g. Cooking moves water and energy density is the score's biggest lever, so the dish is scored as cooked, not as an average of its parts. Every ingredient links to its food page, with the same data and score. The label's percentages are each macronutrient's share of the calories. The full formula.