#FlexYourMussels with Moules Marinières

Moules Mariniere

Eating mussels reminds me of being on holidays in France where we sat for hours one summers evening eating a huge pot of Moules Marinières in Bordeaux. There’s something so enticing about lifting the lid and smelling those garlic and white wine aromas wafting from the pot. I’ve been cooking them at home ever since, sometimes steaming them with cider, grilling them with garlic butter or adding them to a seafood stew. Mussels are the ultimate healthy fast food and something I love to cook. Bord Bia now have a whole range of delicious recipes using mussels on their website here and have just launched a great competition that gives you a chance to #flexyourmussels by posting a photo of a mussel dish that you’ve cooked at home and using the hashtag #flexyourmussels to be in with a chance to win one of three €100 One4All vouchers. I’ll select the winners by Monday 4th July so good luck!

I can’t wait to see loads of creative mussels recipes and get even more inspiration! In the mean time here’s the perfect recipe for the traditional Moules Marinières. It couldn’t be simpler and is surprisingly quick to make. Make sure you have plenty of crusty bread to hand for mopping up all of the delicious sauce at the end of the pot!

Moules Marinières

Serves 2 as a starter, one as a main course.

Time: 10 minutes

1kg mussels, prepared

A knob of butter

1 shallot, finely chopped

1 clove of garlic, peeled and crushed

60mls white wine

Chopped parsley, to serve

Set a large saucepan over a medium heat.  Melt the butter.  Add the chopped shallot and garlic and cook for a couple of minutes. They should soften but not brown.  Add the wine and mussels, turn the heat up to high and cover tightly with a lid.  Allow the mussels to cook for 3-4 minutes, shaking the pan from time to time to ensure they cook evenly. Discard any that have not opened.

Remove the pan from the heat to stop the mussels cooking any further. Sprinkle with chopped parsley, then spoon them into warmed bowls and pour over the pan juices.

Serve with lots of crusty bread.