Bastille Day: Celebrate With These Delicious Moules Marinières

Moules marinières

Moules marinières is an iconic French dish, most popular in the northwestern region of France, including Brittany and Normandy, where you'll find some of the freshest seafood along the coast. It's also a Belgian specialty known as moules-frites, served with a nice cold beer and the crispiest golden French fries. 

This classic recipe for moules marinières cooks the mussels in a traditional sauce of white wine, shallots and parsley. It's light, flavorful and very easy to prepare. Not to mention, the sauce is totally addictive, so don't be surprised at how fast you devour them.

For 4 servings:

• 4 lbs (2kg) fresh mussels, scrubbed and debearded
  
• 2 tbsp salted butter
• 3/4 cup (200ml) dry white wine
• 2 shallots, peeled and thinly sliced
  
• 1 bunch of fresh flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
• 3 sprigs of thyme
• 1 bay leaf
• Salt and freshly cracked black pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Soak the scrubbed and debearded mussels in cold water for 1 hour, to remove any sand, barnacles or other debris. Drain before using.
2. Melt the butter over medium-low heat in a large, deep-sided saucepan. Add the sliced shallots and let cook for 4-5 min. until shiny and translucent.
3. Add the mussels and white wine. Season with freshly cracked black pepper, and add the chopped parsley, thyme sprigs and bay leaf. 
4. Stir everything gently to combine and cover tightly with a transparent lid. Cook for 6-7 minutes, shaking the pan several times to ensure the mussels cook evenly. When the mussels have opened, use a slotted spoon to remove them to a large bowl and set aside.
5. Let the cooking liquid rest for a minute or two, then filter it through a fine-mesh strainer right on top of the mussels. Taste and add salt, if necessary. Then top with more fresh chopped parsley to garnish.
   
6. Serve immediately with crusty baguette for dipping.

Bon appétit!

Hungry for more? Try this recipe for easy stuffed mussels.