Before Turkey day arrived last week, I went to the market with the goal of prepping really easy meals for Monday and Tuesday. Meals with ingredients that would be exhausted in one sitting and would require very little prep.

As I passed our seafood counter, I instantly had a craving for wine/garlic goodness… which in my mind is linked directly to steamed mussels! (p.s. mussels are a ‘best choice’ sustainable option when picking seafood) They’re so easy to make, and wonderfully delicious if you like white wine, garlic and shallots. Plus, you get to slop up the remaining sauce with a crusty loaf of french bread, which truly makes any meal extra special!

Mussels in White Wine

[print recipe]

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups dry white wine
• 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 2 large shallots, finely chopped
  1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 T olive oil
• 2 pounds live mussels
• 1/4 cup mixed fresh herbs, such as flat-leaf parsley, chervil, or basil, chopped
• 3 tablespoons butter, cut into pieces

Directions

1.  Rinse the mussels under cold running water and scrub them down. Use your fingers to remove the beards (those silly strings that hang from the mussels’ shells), and discard.
2. Add 1 T of olive oil into a large pot and heat to medium. Add the shallots and cook for 3 minutes until translucent. Add the wine, garlic, and salt in a large pot and continue to heat on medium. Let it simmer for 5 minutes.
3. Add the mussels, cover the pot and increase the heat to high. Cook for about 5 minutes, or until all mussels are open. Stir in herbs and butter and remove the pot from heat. Divide mussels and broth among two bowls. Serve immediately!

And if you’re looking for a creamy sauce…. try this variation of the recipe, using all of the same ingredients, but adding in some cream!