This mussels recipe comes with a savory white wine garlic butter sauce and the mussels themselves are seasoned with a generous amount of parsley and lovage.
They’re extremely easy to make and come together in just half an hour.
You can serve them with a piece of toast or a bruschetta.
White Wine Garlic Butter Sauce Mussels
There are plenty of different ways in which you can cook mussels, most of which inspired by Mediterranean cuisine.
One of the most popular Mediterranean ways is to cook them along with some rice.
If however you’re looking for a lighter dish, you can make a simple white wine sauce and serve them with a piece of toast.
And this recipe does just that.
Apart from the sauce, the mussels are seasoned with some fresh parsley, lovage and a bit of cayenne pepper for a spicy kick.
Naturally, you can omit the cayenne pepper if you aren’t into spicy foods, although in this case the spiciness is barely noticeable.
When I make these mussels it’s usually for a dinner with drinks, since they pair exceptionally well with the three main alcoholic beverages – beer, wine and rye-based spirits.
Ingredients
- Fresh shelled mussels – Make sure you thoroughly inspect the mussels before buying and check if their shells are cracked or open. You can keep the mussels in some cold water after you buy them to keep them fresh.
- Unsalted butter – Unsalted butter is the base for the sauce If you have only salted butter at hand, you should omit the salt from the recipe.
- White wine – Any type of dry white wine such as chardonnay will do the trick. I’m personally using Muscat Ottonel.
- Lemon juice – A drizzle of freshly squeezed lemon juice will add a refreshing note to the mussels.
- Aromatics – No sauce would be complete without some finely chopped onions and garlic.
- Seasonings – The mussels are seasoned with a mix of black pepper and cayenne pepper.
- Herbs – Fresh lovage and parsley are a must for most Mediterranean seafood.
How to Make
Check out the recipe card at the end of this article for detailed, step-by-step instructions.
Start by thoroughly cleaning the brown shoots on the mussels with a brush.
Check if there are any mussels with broken shells and throw them out if necessary.
Next, melt the butter in the olive oil in a large pan and saute the onions.
Add the garlic and cook it until it releases its aroma.
Stir in the white wine and lemon juice and simmer them for a couple of minutes.
Continue by adding the mussels and fresh lovage in the pot.
Turn the heat to high and cook the mussels until they open up.
Take out the mussels from the pot and throw out the unopened ones.
Finish by serving the mussels and garnishing them with the sauce and finely chopped parsley.
Storage
Mussels are a highly perishable product so it’s best to consume them the day they’re cooked.
I don’t recommend storing them in the fridge as it’s highly likely they will spoil.
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White Wine Garlic Butter Sauce Mussels
Ingredients
- 3 pounds mussels
- 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
- 1 cup white wine Muscat Ottonel
- 2 tbsp lemon juice fresh
Instructions
- Run the mussels under cold water and remove the brown shoots with a small brush. Toss out any mussels that are opened or have a broken shell.
- Heat the olive oil in a large pot and melt the butter in it.
- Add the onion and cook for 5 to 6 minutes, then add the garlic and cook for another 20 seconds.
- Pour 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, then add the rest of the mussels and lovage on top.
- Turn up the heat and simmer the mussels for 5 - 6 minutes or until they open up.
- Remove the mussels from the pot and toss out the unopened ones.
- Divide the mussels into portions and cover them with the sauce. Sprinkle some of the parsley on top and serve with a piece of toast.
Notes
- Always get fresh mussels from a vendor you trust, on the same day of cooking them. If you're shopping early in the day, put the mussels in water to keep them fresh until it's time to cook.
- Always clean the mussels carefully and under running water. Remove any seaweeds protruding from the shells.
- Toss out mussels that have opened or cracked shells -- these are not fresh.
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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.