Mussels: Fine Dining on a Dime

Recently, I rocked out some mussels at home for the first time. These bad boys of the sea are loved by many generations in my fam. So, I thought it was time to make them in my own kitchen. We eat them at restaurants all the time for an appie or over pasta.

They are so easy to make at home. And the price tag is dirt cheap: a 2.5-pound bag  of fresh mussels was literally $5. You do have to give them a good wash.  But it was very easy to do.

I did a French style dish courtesy of Ina Garten. This recipe is from her Barefoot in Paris cookbook. It is one of my faves. French cuisine is so top notch. The recipe in the cookbook is ginormous: 6 1/2 pounds of mussels. I did a 21/2-pound bag, so I halved the recipe.  I am presenting it to you as it is in the book.

Regarding the cleaning, I followed her instructions exactly. Mine did not have the beards, so I didn't have to remove that part of the mussel. Yay! Less cleaning, more wine while cooking. Ha.

I didn't drain my tomatoes, and I used a whole 14.5 ounce can. The one special high-falutin ingredient is saffron. It is a must. I served the mussels with a mixed green salad, baked frites (we were doing a Belgium theme) and crusty bread. The sauce is soooo amazing!

Bon appetit!

Mussels in White Wine
From "Barefoot in Paris"
By Ina Garten
Serves 6

6 1/2 pounds cultivated mussels
2/3 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp. good saffron threads
5 Tbsp. unsalted butter
3 Tbsp. good olive oil
2 cups chopped shallots (10-15 shallots)
1/3 cup minced garlic (12 to 15 cloves)
1 cup chopped canned plum tomatoes, drained (8 ounces) (The Jersey Girl did not drain the tomatoes)
3/4 cup chopped flat leaf parsley
1/4 cup fresh thyme leaves
2 cups good white wine
4 tsp. kosher salt
2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

To clean the mussels, put them in a large bowl with 4 quarts of water and the flour and soak for 30 minutes, or until the mussels disgorge any sand.  Drain the mussels, then remove the "beard" from each with your fingers. If they're dirty, scrub the mussels with a brush under running water. Discard any mussels whose shells aren't tightly shut. Soak the saffron in 1/4 cup hot tap water for 15 minutes and set aside.

In a large (12 quart) nonaluminum stockpot, heat the butter and olive oil over medium heat. Add the shallots and cook for 5 minutes; add the garlic and cook for 3 more minutes, or until the shallots are translucent. Add the saffron with the soaking water, the tomatoes, parsley, thyme, wine, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil.

Add the mussels, stir well, then cover the pot, and cook over medium heat for 8 to 10 minutes, until all the mussels are opened  (discard any that do not open). With the lid on, shake the pot once or twice to be sure the mussels don't burn on the bottom. Pour the mussels and the sauce into a large bowl and serve hot.