I love shellfish. And being the only eater of said shellfish in my home (of 2, with the exception of scallops) I don’t make them too often. However, when I am at one of the nicer grocery stores like Whole Foods or Wegmans (the best grocery store there is), and they have some good looking muscles, I’m bound to buy the 2 lbs bag and cook them up into a nice white wine sauce over pasta. Today, I decided to take a different approach, and do a classic French version of Mussels with toast points.
First, I wanted something I could make quickly. Second, I didn’t really want something heavy over pasta. And third, I needed to use what I had in the fridge and the shallots were calling to be used before they went bad.
This recipe is partially inspired by a recipe recently posted on Fight the Fat Foodie blog. He posted a really nice, healthier version of the Food Network’s classic mussels. I decided to switch a few of the ingredients around, but all in all, its still pretty classic.
Ingredients:(Serves 2)
(modified version of Fight the Fat Foodie’s recipe)
(modified version of Fight the Fat Foodie’s recipe)
2 lbs fresh mussels (cleaned/debearded if necessary)
1 tsp olive oil
2 shallots chopped
2 cloves garlic diced
1 cup white wine
1/2 cup milk (I used lactose free)
4 tbsp unsalted butter, slightly softened
1 tsp pink peppercorns
1 bay leaf
1/4 tsp dry parsley
pepper to taste
2 tsp sea salt
1 tsp olive oil
2 shallots chopped
2 cloves garlic diced
1 cup white wine
1/2 cup milk (I used lactose free)
4 tbsp unsalted butter, slightly softened
1 tsp pink peppercorns
1 bay leaf
1/4 tsp dry parsley
pepper to taste
2 tsp sea salt
In large pot with lid, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add shallots and cook for 3 minutes. Add garlic and cook an additional 3-4 minutes.
Add the rest of the ingredients and stir to mix and coat mussels. Cover and cook for approximately 10-15 minutes, or until mussels are cooked. Discard any mussels that did not open.
Pour sauce into a separate bowl. Divide mussels into separate bowls and top with half the sauce. Serve with toasted bread.
Enjoy!!
I've been craving mussels ever since we had them as an appetizer at a local restaurant last week. This looks great!
Thanks. I wanted to get real crazy and add chili flakes and use chili infused oil, but I resisted.
Evan, nice blog and nice version of this recipe. I like the addition of the pink peppercorns. Thanks for the mention and link to Fight the Fat Foodie.
Thanks. And no problem, as your recipe was my inspiration.
looks good for superbowl snacks.
herb1419
COngrats on getting on the Top 9 today! Thanks for the comment on my blog by the way. Enjoy your day!