Sometimes you need some everyday luxury! And leading up to a long weekend and hopefully some great Spring weather, what could be more suited than a pot of mussels in a white wine broth?
Cooking mussels is really easy, the only thing that may be a little complicated, is cleaning them if you can’t find ones that are already cleaned properly.
Steps:
Open the package, fill your sink with cold water and pour the mussels in. The good thing about doing this is that you immediately identify dead shells. If they don’t close when entering the water, toss them out.
Clean them by pulling off the “beard”. This is easiest if pulling along the mussels’ seam rather than just pulling straight out. if you don’t manage to remove the beard, it may feel like you are chewing on gravel when you eat the mussels.
Also take the time to clean the outside of the shells, removing loose bits dirt. Replace the water in the sink if needed.
Broth recipe:
50 grams butter
4 cloves garlic, chopped into small bits
1/2 onion chopped into small bits
100 ml cream
100 ml white wine (great way to use leftovers)
Pinch of herbs or herb spice mix
Melt the butter, add the garlic and onion and cook until soft and transparent, approximately 5 minutes.
Turn down the heat a little and add the cream, wine and herbs. Bring to a gently boil and add the cleaned mussels. Cook the mussels under lid on medium heat until they open. This takes approximately 10 minutes. Discard the mussels that does not open.
1,5 to 2 kg og mussels if perfect for dinner for two.
Dish up in large bowls and add some of the broth.
Tip:
Serve with good bread, like a fresh focaccia. You need good bread to soak up the delicious broth. You can also use half a shell from the mussel to eat the broth like a soup.
Tip:
Serve with a good dry white wine or a good champagne. A rosè champagne will make a great companion for this dish. The mussels are best accompanied by something not too sweet, so a normal brut champagne is a definite favorite for a late Summer evening date! :-)
Enjoy!
