Mussels in cream sauce over fries
(
REVIEWS)
PREP:
20 minutes
TOTAL:
SERVES:
4
Mussels in a white wine cream sauce served over paprika fries is an easy to make recipe with little prep time that feels like you’ve been in the kitchen all day.
[This post is sponsored by Calphalon. All opinions are my own]
There’s a little spot down by the beach that my wife and I go to from time to time and have fell in love with one dish. This is that dish
It may feel intimidating to make, but trust me it’s an easy to follow recipe and you’ll be so glad you made this!
Mussels with fries?
So this recipe is a take on a classic dish called Moules Frites. It’s a well-known dish in Belgium as well as France.
It’s a mussels recipe sautéed in fresh aromatics. And in classic Belgium form, served alongside fries.
And I don’t know why, but they pair together SO PERFECTLY.
The restaurant that I was first exposed to this dish served it as an all-in-one dish. With the fries in the bowl with the mussels. And there was a delicious white wine cream sauce.
And it works.
But if you’re not into your fries sitting in the cream sauce soaking up all those flavors feel free to serve your fries on the side.
Or even omit altogether and just serve with a nice crusty bread.
Equipment needed for Mussels in Cream sauce
For this recipe you’ll need a few things
Colander: You’ll need something to store your mussels in until ready. A colander works for storing as well as draining after they have been soaked.
A good knife: To prep the ingredients you’ll need a nice sharp knife. I’m using a Calphalon Classic™ Antimicrobial Self-Sharpening 15-Piece Cutlery Set with SilverShield® Knife Handles. (use DADWITHAPAN25 for 25% off your first order!)
Sharp knives are SUPER important. And that’s what I love about this set. The sharpener is BUILT IN TO THE BLOCK! every time I pull the knife out of the block I know it’s sharp and ready to cut ingredients.
Sauté Pan: A sauté pan is perfect for this recipe. It allows you to brown ingredients, then bring the sauce in then steam mussels all in a single pan.
I’m using my Calphalon Classic™ Hard-Anodized Nonstick 5-Quart Saute Pan with Cover. (use DADWITHAPAN25 for 25% off your first order!)
The Aquashield nonstick surface is EXTEREMLY smooth so there no worry about anything sticking.
Ingredients needed for Mussels in white wine cream sauce
Fresh Mussels: Do not get precooked frozen you want live mussels for this recipe. It will make a world of difference
Dry white wine: go with something like a chardonnay for this recipe. Sweet wont do as well for this sauce.
Chicken Stock: I prefer a chicken stock for this recipe, it’s nice an mild to allow the other flavors to shine. But if you prefer, a fish stock would be an excellent substitute.
Heavy cream: This goes in at the end to thicken up the sauce and really adds a nice mouth feel to this dish.
Shoestring Fries: If you have the time, make them from scratch. But frozen shoestring works perfect for this recipe. The nice light cut gives a nice presentation as well.
Aromatics: Shallots, garlic, parsley, thyme. These four combined add a beautiful flavor to this dish.
How to Clean and debeard Mussels?
Unless you’re harvesting fresh mussels yourself at the beach, you’re more than likely to be picking up a bag of farm-raised mussels. This makes cleaning a lot easier since there isn’t much dirt but there is still a little prep-work left to do.
Cleaning the mussels
Soak your mussels in freshwater for about 20 minutes. This will help them push out any sand in their system.
Next Place the mussels in a colander and run cold water over them in the sink. Using a clean scrub brush, rub off any debris on the shell.
If there are any open mussels at this point, give them a tap. If the mussel does not close its shell, discard it. DO NOT under any circumstances cook a dead mussel. This is a sure way to get food poisoning.
Debearding the mussels
Sometimes stores will already have your mussels debearded. The beard is that stringy thread attached to the inside of a fresh mussel. You’ll want to remove this before cooking.
To debeard, take the mussel by the hinge-end and locate that stringy “beard” on the mussel. Firmly pull the thread towards the hinge and it should snap right off.
How to make Mussels in white wine sauce with fries
Sauté Aromatics: Mince garlic, and and chop shallots, then sauté for 3-5 minutes in olive oil and butter
Add the liquids: Add the wine and and chicken stock and let it simmer for about 2-3 minutes
Steam the mussels: Add the mussels into your sauté pan and steam with the lid on. Let this steam on low heat they are all opened. If any have not opened, remove them from the pan and throw away.
Add the Cream: pour in the cream and season with salt pepper and parsley. You’ll want to shake the pan as your adding the cream so that it mixes well into the white wine sauce. At this point it’s done but set the heat on low to keep warm.
Make your fries: Bake or fry some shoestring fries (let’s keep this simple and use frozen fries). Once cooked immediately toss in salt.
Assemble your bowl: Add in the fries. Season with paprika. Place in a few mussels, then spoon in the white wine sauce. Garnish with parsley and serve with a lemon wedge.
*This can be done before or after, but I prefer to do this after the mussels are cooked and just keep it warm.
My Takeaways from this recipe.
This mussels in white wine cream sauce is such a good meal to serve for get togethers. It can be done in one pan, let it keep warm and serve up to your friends and family.
And having the fries in the bowls with the mussels and cream sauce is a nice little presentation touch.
It has so much flavor from the white wine, to the garlic and shallots, and the seafood aroma from the mussels, is a combination that shellfish lovers are going to love!
Mussels in cream sauce over fries
Ingredients
- 4 tbsp butter
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 4 shallots
- 8 cloves garlic
- fresh thyme
- 2 lbs mussels fresh
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes
- 1/2 cup dry white wine
- 1/2 cup chicken stock
- 1/3 cup heavy cream
- 1/2 cup fresh parsley chopped
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp cracked black pepper.
- 1 lb french fries frozen
- lemon wedges for serving
Instructions
- In a large sauté pan, heat butter and olive over medium heat; add shallots and cook for 5-7 minutes stirring occasionally.2 tbsp olive oil, 4 shallots, 4 tbsp butter
- Add in garlic and cook until aromatic. Pour in white wine and chicken stock. season with salt and pepper. reduce to medium-low.8 cloves garlic, 1/2 cup dry white wine, 1/2 cup chicken stock, 1 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp cracked black pepper.
- Add in the mussels, cover with a lid, and let them steam until all mussels are opened. Discard any mussels that remain closed.2 lbs mussels
- With heat reduced to low, pour in heavy cream, cherry tomatoes, and fresh thyme and parslety, mix the pan until evenly incorporated. Cover with the lid.fresh thyme, 1 cup cherry tomatoes, 1/3 cup heavy cream, 1/2 cup fresh parsley
- While mussels are being kept warm, Prepare fries per instructions on the bag. Once cooked, toss with salt and paprika.1 lb french fries
- Place fries in the center of a bowl in a stack, add in mussels, then pour white wine cream sauce over the mussels. Keep cream sauce away from the fries so that only the bottom of them are submerged in the cream.
- Garnish with paprika, parsley and serve with a lemon wedge. Enjoy!lemon wedges for serving
Nutrition
