MUSSELS IN WHITE WINE CREAM SAUCE
Eating this creamy and fragrant sauce is way more fun than going to the gym. Mussels > muscles.
Ingredients + Preparation
- Mussels (1 kg, cleaned and beards removed)
- Shallot (One bulb, diced)
- Garlic (Two cloves, minced)
- Butter (3 tbsp)
- White wine (1 cup)
- Whipping cream (1 1/2 cups)
- Fresh herb: parsley or basil (1 cup, finely chopped)
- Salt & pepper (To taste)
Instructions
1. Wash the mussels for about 30 seconds under cold, running water. Chuck any open ones that don't close when squeezed. Clean mussels by removing beards, barnacles and anything else stuck to the shells. Rinse under room temp water once all have been cleaned.
2. On medium-high heat, cook shallot in butter for 3 minutes, until slightly translucent.
3. Add white wine and cook for 3 minutes, reducing the liquid.
4. Drop to medium heat, add cream and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
5. Add mussels into the sauce and cook for around 5 minutes, or until the mussels have opened.
6. Add chopped herb and season with salt & pepper.
7. Serve with some nice toasted bread.
Sens Sips
Sauvignon Blanc
Sancerre, Loire Valley, France
This one was easy for us: a classic French dish calls for French wine. A crisp & clean Sauvignon goes beautifully with the herbs in the sauce, and won't overpower the subtlety of the mussels. While you can find this wine produced in most parts of the world, stick with French Sauvignon blanc from the Loire Valley (Sancerre is where it's at).
Sens Toolkit
Tips + Tricks
- Mussels are cooked live, so if a mussel hasn't opened after cooking don't eat it! If a mussel is fully open before cooking don't eat it either, as it's probably dead.
- An easy way to eat mussels is to use an empty shell as tweezers to pull out the meat from other shells.
- Clams can easily be substituted instead of using mussels.
- Try adding a few tablespoons of pesto or sundried tomatoes to change up this recipe.
Mama's Wisdom
Mussels, while a bit high in cholesterol, are a very good source of protein, deliver beneficial nutrients for your metabolism, thyroid and most of your body's chemical reactions and anti-oxidants (vitamin B12, iron, manganese and selenium). Heavy cream adds saturated (bad) fat, so try and only enjoy this occasionally!
Mama Wulf
Marta De Wulf is a dietitian with over 25 years experience helping people explore and appreciate the link between food and personal wellbeing.
