Originally a Belgian dish, Moules Marinières can be found on restaurant menus in almost every seaside town in France. They are often associated with sitting by the sea in the summertime, but I prefer mussels in the winter. They are usually plumper, juicier and more flavorful.

This is a quick and genuinely satisfying dish!




Moules Marinières
serves 4

extra virgin olive oil
1 shallot, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 cup dry white wine
3 pounds live mussels, rinsed and debearded just before cooking
handful of chopped fresh parsley
black pepper

Warm the olive oil in a large stockpot over medium low heat.
Sauté the shallot and garlic until translucent.
Add the wine and boil until reduced slightly.
Add the mussels, cover, and cook, shaking the pan occasionally, until the mussels open, then cook for an additional minute.
Remove from the heat, evenly divide the mussels among 4 shallow soup bowls, sprinkle with parsley and black pepper, and pour the cooking juices over all.
Serve immediately.

Chef Jim Fisher says:

Here are a few very simple rules for you to follow when buying, preparing and cooking mussels . . .

1. Choose your mussels with care, buying them only from reputable supermarkets and fishmongers.
2. Raw mussels are always sold live: they should be shiny, mostly unbroken and closed, and generally smell of nothing other than the sea.
3. Get them home straight away and cover them with plenty of cold fresh water (mussels don't like tap water, so they shut up and wait for the real tide to come in!).
4. Scrub them well and remove any barnacles and the tough fibrous 'beard'. Throw away any with broken shells.
5. Raw mussels that refuse to close when rapped on the side of the sink are dead: throw them away.
6. Mussels that remain closed having just been through the cooking process were dead before you bought them and should also be chucked out.

Finally, cook mussels for the briefest time - two to three minutes at most, or until they just open. That way, they'll be juicy, sweet and tender.