French · Lunch · Dinner
Moules Marinières
Plump mussels steamed open in a fragrant broth of dry white wine, shallots, garlic and thyme, finished with a shower of fresh parsley. A light, elegant French bistro classic that is mostly lean protein and is easily made at home.
- Prep
- 20 min
- Cook
- 15 min
- Total
- 35 min
- Serves
- 4
Calories come from: Carbs 24% · Fat 43% · Protein 33%
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Ingredients
For 4 servings- 2 kg in shell (about 500 g meat)Live mussels
- 3 medium90 gShallots, finely chopped
- 3 cloves9 gGarlic, finely chopped
- 1 tbsp14 gOlive oil
- 1 tbsp14 gUnsalted butter
- 1 cup (250 ml)Dry white wine
- 2 sprigsFresh thyme
- 1 leafBay leaf
- 1 cup loosely packed30 gFresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
- 1/2 tspBlack pepper, freshly ground
- 1/2 lemon60 gLemon wedges, to serve (optional)
Steps
- 1
Rinse the mussels in cold water and pull off any stringy beards.
- 2
Discard any mussels with cracked shells, and any open ones that do not close when tapped firmly.
- 3
Warm the olive oil and butter in a large, wide pot with a lid over medium heat.
- 4
Add the shallots and cook for 3-4 minutes until soft but not browned.
- 5
Stir in the garlic, thyme and bay leaf and cook for 1 minute until fragrant.
- 6
Pour in the white wine, turn the heat to high and bring to a rolling boil for 1 minute.
- 7
Tip in the mussels, cover tightly and steam for 5-7 minutes, shaking the pot once or twice, until the shells have opened.
- 8
Discard any mussels that stay closed after cooking.
- 9
Remove the thyme sprigs and bay leaf, then stir in most of the parsley and the black pepper.
- 10
Ladle the mussels and broth into warm bowls, scatter over the remaining parsley and serve with lemon wedges if you like.
Swaps, storage and make-ahead
Swaps
- Use 1 tablespoon more olive oil instead of the butter for a dairy-free version.
- Swap the white wine for 1 cup of fish or vegetable stock plus a squeeze of lemon juice for an alcohol-free broth; choose a stock labelled gluten-free if you need the dish to stay gluten-free.
- Use 1 small yellow onion instead of the shallots if shallots are hard to find.
- Replace the fresh thyme with 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme if that is what you have on hand.
Storage
Mussels are best eaten fresh, straight from the pot. If you have leftovers, take the meat out of the shells, refrigerate it in the strained broth within 2 hours, eat within 1 to 2 days, reheat gently until steaming hot, and do not freeze.
Make ahead
Earlier in the day, rinse the mussels and keep them in the fridge in a bowl covered with a damp cloth (not sealed or in water). Chop the shallots, garlic and parsley. Pull off the beards just before cooking, then cook the mussels right before serving.
Nutrition values are for the recipe as written.
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Allergens and nutrition
Contains: MolluscsMilkSulphites
Check the labels of packaged ingredients for allergens and suitability for your diet.
Full nutrition
| Per serving (226 g) | Per 100 g | |
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 236 kcal | 104 kcal |
| Protein | 15.9 g | 7 g |
| Carbohydrates | 11.5 g | 5.1 g |
| of which sugars | 2.4 g | 1.1 g |
| Fiber | 1.2 g | 0.5 g |
| Fat | 9.1 g | 4 g |
| of which saturated | 2.8 g | 1.2 g |
| Sodium | 368 mg | 163 mg |
Nutrition is calculated from USDA FoodData Central data and may differ from what you cook.
