Moules Marinière
Moules marinière is a classic mussel dish found on just about every French menu ever. It also happens to be ridiculously easy to make. All you need are a few ingredients you probably already have in your pantry, some fresh mussels, a few minutes to spare and voila, you’re good to go.
Make sure to pick up a loaf of crusty French bread before you make this dish too; it’s a perfect vehicle for soaking up the shallot and parsley-flavored broth. There are countless recipes for moules marinière but my favorite is the one I slightly adapted from Anthony Bourdain’s Les Halles Cookbook. The butter to shallot to wine ratio is just right.
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons butter
2 small shallots, thinly sliced
1 1/2 cups dry white wine
salt and pepper
4 pounds mussels, scrubbed
4 sprigs parsley, finely chopped
1. Heat the butter in a large pot over medium-high heat. Once melted, add the shallots. Cook for 2 minutes, until the shallots are soft and just beginning to brown. Add the wine and bring to a boil. Season with salt and pepper.
2. Add the mussels to the same pot and cover with the lid. Cook just until all the mussels are open, about 8 minutes. Shake the pot, keeping the lid pressed on top, then add the parsley and shake again. Pour into a warmed serving bowl and serve with bread.