Moules Mariniere (Mussels Mariner style)

Moules Mariniere
From Bistros and Brasseries

Hands on time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 8 minutes

Serves 4

Ingredients:
3 lb/1.3 kg mussels (the fresher the better)
2 tbsp unsalted butter
¼ cup minced shallots
3 cloves, garlic, minced
¼ cup Italian/flat leaf parsley, chopped
½ cup very dry white wine
Pepper to taste

Directions:
1. Just before you are ready to cook the dish, wash the mussels under cold running water and remove the “beards”.

2. Heat a large pot or Dutch oven (with a cover) that is large enough to hold all the mussels and that you can toss once during the cooking) over medium high heat. Melt the butter in the pot and wait for the foam to subside. Add the minced shallots and garlic. Cook until they’re fragrant and translucent. Stir to prevent burning (2-4 minutes).

3. Add the parsley, give it one stir, turn heat to high and add the mussels to the pot. Stir once with a large wooden spoon, remove the pot from the heat and add the wine. Return pot to heat, cover and reduce heat to medium. Shake the pot occasionally.

4. After 4 minutes, check if any mussels have opened. If only a few, cover the pot again and turn up the heat. If most are open, remove them to warmed bowls and cover the pot again to let the last few open. After 1-2 more minutes, transfer the remaining open mussels to the bowls. (Unopened ones are dead)

5. Decant the cooking juices to remove the grit at the bottom of the pot. Pour the flavorful broth carefully out of the pot, but stop as soon as you see the grit starting to get close to the edge. Season with pepper, as needed and pour over the mussels. Garnish with parsley and serve.