Mussels in White Wine & Garlic
Mussels in white wine and garlic is a family favorite for me! And while we usually order it as an appetizer for Friday night pizza dinner - we LOVE making it at home too! Mostly because we get to control the ingredients! Not to mention, it’s less expensive than ordering out. And since it’s such an easy dish - Mom and I don’t mind tossing it together for family dinners and parties!
When I say this is easy, I’m talking seven ingredients, 15 minutes, and dinner is on the table! It’s the beauty of seafood. Not only is it incredibly good for you - it’s quick cooking! Mussels, and shellfish in general, are a good place to start if you’re new to cooking fish. They’re visibly ready to serve when the shells open up. No need to check temperature or texture - just look at ‘em! Of course, you want to make sure you select quality fish. Generally I look for seafood that’s wild caught in the U.S.A. Norway, Canada and Iceland also have fair laws in place that generally protect fish and fishermen. But I would avoid fish caught or farmed in Asia. Think about the time frame alone from when that was caught to when it arrived on the East Coast! I have a whole video on how to select and prepare shellfish here for you as well.
Once your mussels are cleaned - it’s a quick ride to the dinner table. Extra virgin olive oil, butter, shallot and garlic make the base of the sauce. Then I add in a dry white wine - pinot grigio is my favorite. When you cook with wine, a lot of people will use “cheap” wine, or basically wine that they wouldn’t drink otherwise - the problem there is, the wine is flavoring your food! So while you don’t have to spend a lot of money on wine - you DO want to use wine that you enjoy sipping on to cook with. Personally I like to pour myself a glass WHILE I’m cooking - I swear it makes the food better!
It won’t look like a lot of liquid in the pan, but it’s enough. The mussels will also release a bit of liquid that will also flavor the sauce. You’ll notice I don’t add salt to this dish because to me - the salt water that comes out of the mussels is enough - but as always, taste and season as desired. Cover your pot of mussels and let them cook for about 3 minutes before giving the pot a gently shake to move things around. After about 5 minutes, check your mussels - if they’ve all opened up - they’re all done! If not, you can give them another 2-3 minutes, but I wouldn’t go longer than that. Any mussel that doesn’t open up at all should be tossed (if they open just a little they’re fine).
From there you can certainly toss the entire thing with a long pasta like spaghetti or linguine; but my personal favorite is to sit over a bowl of mussels with a hunk of good bread in my hand. When the fish are gone that cooking liquid makes the BEST dipping sauce! For me, that’s enough for a meal. But of course, you could use this recipe as an appetizer too! Watch the video to see how easy it is - and grab the recipe below!
Buon Appeito!
Mussels in White Wine & Garlic
Serves 4 as an appetizer, 2 as a meal
1 lb. fresh mussels
2 Tbs. extra virgin olive oil
4 Tbs. butter
1 small shallot, minced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 C. dry white wine (such as pinot grigio or chardonnay)
fresh chopped parsley for serving
Lemon wedges (optional)
crusty bread (optional)
Heat a sauce pan with a tight fitting lid over medium heat. Add the oil and butter and cook until butter is melted.
Add in shallot and allow to cook for 2-3 minutes until it becomes opaque.
Add in garlic and cook until fragrant, or about 1 minute.
Add the white wine to the sauce and stir well. Carefully place the mussels in the pot and cover. Allow to cook for about 3 minutes. Use pot holders to hold the lid tightly on the pot and gently shake the pot to redistribute the mussels inside. Return to heat for another 2 minutes.
Check the mussels - if they’ve all opened up, they’re ready to serve. If not, they may need another 2-3 minutes. Do not over cook the mussels, if any do not open up at all, simply discard them. Mussels that have opened slightly are fine.
Spoon mussels and sauce into a large bowl. Sprinkle fresh parsley on top and arrange lemon wedges around the dish. Serve with crusty bread for dipping.
Alternate: Serve the dish over a long pasta such as spaghetti or linguine.