Recipe: Mussels

We've been talking a lot about French wine around the shop this week (and we are tasting three delicious French wines tonight on Zoom) and all of this talk has me craving mussels. Here's a quick recipe you could throw together to enjoy some mussels with your Caz wines tonight!

Ingredients

• 4 lbs mussels (you can normally find these at Tony's)

• 2 tablespoons butter (or your favorite cooking oil)

• 4 tablespoons minced garlic

• 1 minced shallot

• 1 cup white wine (such as Muscadet)

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 1 teaspoon pepper

• 1 juiced lemon

• 3 Tablespoons fresh parsley leaves minced

• 2 Tablespoons olive oil

• bread for serving (a crunchy loaf of french bread is the best!)

• Ginger, red onion, basil, mint, or cilantro are also great things to add depending on your taste!

Pro tip: rinse your mussels first! If you notice any of them are already open, discard those! They are not safe to eat.

Instructions

1. Preheat a large sautee pan over high heat. You'll want to use a sautee pan that has a lid.

2. Add in the butter (or other oil) and minced garlic and shallot.

3. Sautee for 2 minutes

4. Add the cup of white wine.

5. Cook for 2 more minutes (you want it to boil!)

6. Add in the mussels.

7. Toss the mussels in the sauce, then close the lid.

8. Lower the heat to a medium/low setting and let cook for 10-15 minutes (until all mussels have opened up.)

9. Uncover the pot and let some of the liquid evaporate over high heat.

10. Add in the lemon juice, parsley, olive oil, and any of the other optional ingredients listed above.

11. Toss the mussels one last time and serve immediately with french bread

12. Enjoy! (Preferably with a glass of white wine!)