Thursday, March 12, 2009

Steamed Mussels for an easy weeknight dinner!


I was inspired to try my hand at making mussels after watching 'Dick Move'(tm DCeiver), er, 'Throwdown' with Bobby Flay: Moules Frites. If you do the prep (chop parsley and slice onions) early in the day or the night before the dish can be on the table 15 minutes after you get home from work. Talk about quick and easy! Here's a link to the original recipe. Mussels with Saffron Cream. My tweaking is below.

Mussels with Saffron Cream
adapted from Gourmet

Yield: Makes 4 servings


1 large onion, halved lengthwise
Rounded 1/4 teaspoon crumbled saffron threads
3/4 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup dry white wine
1 cup heavy cream
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
4 lb cultivated mussels, rinsed well
2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Using a mandoline, slice onion halves crosswise into less than 1/16-inch-thick slices.

Cook onion with saffron and 1/2 teaspoon salt in oil in a wide 6- to 8-quart heavy pot over moderately high heat, covered, stirring occasionally, until onion is softened, about 5 minutes.

Add wine and bring to a boil, then stir in cream, pepper, remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt, and mussels. Cook, covered, checking after 6 minutes and transferring opened mussels to soup bowls with a slotted spoon. (Discard any that remain unopened after 8 minutes.)

Ladle broth over mussels in bowls and sprinkle with parsley.

Serve with slices of crusty bread.







7 comments:

Unknown said...

This recipe just inspired me to try and make mussels this weekend.

Leslie Klug said...

I was SHOCKED at how easy they were. Pretty foolproof too. Let me know how they turn out!

Unknown said...

Have you seen any good mussel recipes that do not have cream in them? Matthew doesn't eat dairy and I am trying to find a recipe that doesn't have it in it. Do you think I could omit it from this recipe, or would that ruin it?

Leslie Klug said...

Sure. You could double the wine, or substitute bottled clam juice, seafood broth, water, lemon juice or a combo.

Unknown said...

Perfect - Thanks! I'll let you know how it turns out.

Unknown said...

I made this for dinner tonight and it was delicious and very easy. I substituted calm juice for the cream like you recommended. thanks for the recipe!

Unknown said...

Made me crave mussels last night so had to give it a go. Steamed the mussels in beer with onions and garlic, which worked well. I also saw a recipe that used coconut milk and substituted ginger for onions that looked delicious.