salt (a little)Freshly ground black pepper
clean the mussels thoroughly before putting them into a large container,
filled with cold water. Stir them around, wait 5 minutes and then remove all
those that are floating - they are dead.
In your saucepan, melt the butter and gently sweat the shallots without allowing them to take colour. Add the muscadet, the thyme flowers (just a tiny amount) the bayleaf, and a touch of salt, be generous with the pepper on the other hand.3 good turns of the mill. Bring to the boil and simmer very gently 10 minutes.
Add your mussels, and stir them round until they are all open. Add your
parsley at the last minute and serve forthwith.
The recipe can serve as the basis from many others, with cream, curry
powder, with jurancon or sauternes wines, with lemon (excellent) and with
orange, etc etc
The key here is cooking the Muscadet and shallots for 10 minutes before adding the mussels. You reduce the white wine's acidity and gain a rounded sauce without the lingering bitterness. For wine, a Muscadet sur lie naturally holds its own: the barrel aging knits the butter's richness, and acidity keeps the broth fresh. If you prefer, Spanish Albariño does exactly the same job with more marked minerality. Old Charentais cooks finished with a few drops of cognac: worth trying if you like roundness.
No comments yet. Be the first to share your experience!
Help other cooks
Share a tip, your adaptation, your result. Every comment counts.