These mussels are cooked in a savory white wine garlic butter sauce with fresh lovage, a little heat from cayenne pepper, and parsley to finish.
The recipe takes about half an hour, and the sauce is delicious with a piece of toast or bruschetta.
White Wine Garlic Butter Sauce Mussels
There are plenty of ways to cook mussels, including Mediterranean-inspired dishes like mussels with rice. You’ll find more ideas in our collection of mussel recipes.
When I want something lighter, I make these mussels in a white wine garlic butter sauce and serve them with bread.
The sauce brings together butter, wine, onion, garlic, lemon juice, and fresh lovage. Cayenne pepper gives it a noticeable kick without overpowering the other flavors. The heat can vary depending on the brand, but I always use the same amount.
I often make this dish for a dinner with drinks. We usually scoop up some of the sauce with an empty mussel shell, sip it, and follow it with a bite of bread.
Ingredients
- Fresh mussels – Choose mussels with intact shells. Check them carefully before cooking, and keep them refrigerated until you’re ready to clean them.
- Unsalted butter – Together with olive oil, it forms the base of the sauce.
- White wine – Use a dry white wine you enjoy cooking with. I always use Muscat Ottonel because I like its flavor and aroma in this dish.
- Lemon juice – Freshly squeezed lemon juice adds a bright note to the sauce.
- Aromatics – Finely chop the onion and garlic. I’ve found that chopping the onion more finely makes a noticeable difference to the finished sauce.
- Seasonings – Black pepper and cayenne pepper give the sauce its seasoning and a noticeable kick.
- Herbs – Fresh lovage cooks with the mussels, while parsley is used for garnishing at the end.
How to Make
Check out the recipe card at the end of this article for detailed, step-by-step instructions.
Start by cleaning the mussels under cold running water. If you need help with this step, see my guide to cleaning fresh mussels.
Heat the olive oil and melt the butter in a large pot. Add the finely chopped onion and cook until softened, without letting it brown.
Add the garlic and cook briefly, for about 20 seconds, until fragrant.
Pour in the white wine and lemon juice and let them simmer for 2–3 minutes. Stir in the dry seasonings.
Add the mussels and fresh lovage in layers, following the order in the recipe card.
Cover the pot with a glass lid and turn the heat to high. The mussels usually take about 5–6 minutes to open because they’re going into an already hot sauce. I watch them through the lid rather than lifting it or shaking the pot.
Remove the mussels once they’re cooked and discard any that remain unopened.
Divide the mussels into portions. Transfer the sauce to a container that’s easy to pour from. Give it a stir so you get both the liquid and the onion, garlic, and other ingredients when spooning it over the mussels.
Finish with freshly chopped parsley, if you like, and serve with toast or bruschetta.
Storage
I prefer making only as many mussels as we’ll eat in one sitting. This dish is at its best served immediately, while the mussels are hot and the sauce is fresh.
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White Wine Garlic Butter Sauce Mussels
Ingredients
- 3 pounds mussels weighed before cleaning
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter
- 4 oz onion finely chopped
- 3 cloves garlic large cloves; minced
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1/2 cup lovage fresh; chopped
- 1/4 cup parsley fresh; finely chopped; optional garnish
- 1 cup white wine dry; Muscat Ottonel is my preference
- 2 tbsp lemon juice fresh
Instructions
- Rinse the mussels under cold running water. Remove the beards and scrub away any dirt with a small brush. Discard mussels with broken shells and any open ones that don't close when checked.
- Heat the olive oil in a large pot and melt the butter in it.
- Add the finely chopped onion and cook for 5–6 minutes, until softened without browning. Add the garlic and cook for another 20 seconds.
- Pour in the white wine and lemon juice and simmer for 2–3 minutes.
- Stir in the dry seasonings, then add ⅓ of the lovage, half of the mussels, and the remaining mussels and lovage on top.
- Cover the pot with a glass lid, turn the heat to high, and cook for about 5–6 minutes, until the mussels open. Keep the lid closed and don't shake the pot.
- Remove the mussels from the pot and discard any that remain unopened.
- Divide the mussels into portions. Stir the sauce to distribute the liquid and aromatics, then spoon it over the mussels without straining. Sprinkle with chopped parsley, if desired, and serve with toast.
Video
Notes
- Buy fresh mussels from a trusted seafood vendor. If you're not cooking them immediately, keep them refrigerated in a colander set over a bowl, covered with a damp towel. Don't store them submerged in water.
- Clean the mussels under cold running water, removing the beards and scrubbing away dirt where necessary. Discard any with broken shells. If a mussel is open, check whether it closes when gently tapped; discard it if it stays open.
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Nutrition
I do my best to provide you with the nutritional information for recipes but I'm not a certified nutritionist. The nutritional information provided should only be treated as an estimate since it will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
I am trying to teach my husband to cook and he brought mussels home from the market. He followed this recipe exactly (with a little help chopping garlic, gathering the ingredients, etc.) We served it over fettucine noodles. It was fantastic. He wanted me to print it out for his recipe collection so he can make it again. He was so proud of himself and he gave this recipe 5 stars!
Thank you so much for sharing this! I love hearing that your husband took on the challenge and made this recipe a success. Serving it over fettuccine sounds like a fantastic idea—it must have soaked up all that delicious white wine garlic butter sauce! I’m honored that this recipe made it into his collection, and I hope he continues to enjoy cooking more great meals. Tell him he absolutely earned those 5 stars! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐