28 August, 2015
MUSSELS IN WHITE WINE
I am a massive fan of the Mediterranean cuisine. It has to be fresh and basic with juicy green herbs, a touch of lemon and a bit of spice. You can’t beat the smell of freshly chopped herbs in combination with the amazing scent of lemon. Just talking about it makes my mouth water 😜 And if you add seafood to that…my mouth turns into an ocean! 🐠
So for me it was heaven sent when my boyfriend and I got together with his sis, bro in law, nephew and a few friends in Ibiza the other day for a nice dinner. They bought 4 bags full of mussels, some carrots, tomatoes and such. I couldn’t resist to take over the oven to prepare my favourite mussel dish whilst the others made yummy salads and set the table all nicely. It’s all about teamwork. I love that!
Some might think mussels are difficult to cook. No worries. You can’t do anything wrong…just make sure the mussels are fresh, wash them thoroughly, throw away the ones with damaged shells and don’t eat the ones that haven’t opened after cooking! The rest is easy like a day under the Spanish sun by the sea. I promise.
And here we go:
INGREDIENTS (serves 2 peeps):
1 tbs butter
1 large onion (diced)
2 garlic gloves (minced or thinly sliced)
2 small carrots (diced)
1/2 leek (sliced)
2 tomatoes (diced)
1 chilli
300 ml white wine…or even leftover bubbly that isn’t so bubbly anymore
handful parsley and/or basil (chopped)
1 kg mussels
salt & pepper
METHOD:
Rinse and scrub mussels under cold water.
Discard the damaged ones.
Pull out the beards with your fingers. The beards are the hairy strings that hang from the shell.
Put the butter in a large pan or pot over medium heat. Let butter melt, then add onion.
When translucent add garlic and all other veggies.
Simmer for about 5 mins…stir occasionally.
Add wine and mussels. Stir thoroughly and cover with a lit. Increase heat to high and let the mussels cook until they opened up. Stir once in a while. That will take approx 5 – 8 mins.
Add herbs, salt and pepper to taste.
Put the mussels including veggies and stock in a big bowl. Place it in the middle of the table, dive in and enjoy.
Have a blonDISHious day,
Sabrina xxx
7 thoughts
Hi Sabrina
It looks delicious! I’ll try your recipe ‘cos mine is different.. no butter but olive oil and no carrots but fresh parsley. It’s always a pleasure to read something different from our habits
Love the colors 😉
Hi Sabrina,
ahhh a spanish dish to extend holiday!?!?! I’m sure it is delicious! My recipe is a little bit different (extra virgin olive oil instead of butter, lemon slices instead of carrots and leek) but you are right when you write that mussels are easy to cook!! We can eat raw mussels, raw seafood, raw shellfish, and the are alike good! (Be careful because it could be dangerous if you are not sure about their origin and freshness!!!) We can cook them with nothing, and they are alike good! So, no worries and try! Sorry Sabrina, I let myself carried away by enthusiasm, but cooking is one of my passions and I find very gratifying when family or friends are at the same table and they are happy to be toghether eating something good I made for them. (the italian DNA shoots again and again and again,,) I am sure you understand and I am happy to share this passion with other persons who have the same hobby (even if hobby is not the appropriate word). I love this blog more and more! Go ahead and you leave behind a lot of happy people eating..good! xxx
I enjoyed reading your comment Patty..and I can feel your passion for cooking. That is wonderful. I am very much with you about all you said. Cooking for me is a very spiritual and also relaxing thing. And having friends and family over for a meal we all enjoy and love is on the greatest joys for me.
Happy you like my blog. So many things in the making…keep watching this space. There will be a few nice surprises in the near future 😉
Love, Sabrina xxx
Thank you! xxxxxxx
My boyfriend and I just had a variation of this great dish for a little late-night-dinner. We pulled the mussels out of their shells to eat them with the veggies which we deglazed with some white wine. With some bread and self-made lemon-butter it really filled us up. Yummy! I hope everyone can imagine what it looks like. I’ll share a photo on Twitter. Cooking, especially together, is a great experience. I totally agree, Sabrina: It is relaxing and also kind of spiritual. I already have some rituals when chopping veggies. I’m very much looking forward to more recipes and thoughts and so does my boyfriend. He just said to me that one month ago he’d never Imagined the two of us cooking and eating mussels together. Neither did I. But now I can imagine a lot more. Thank you, Sabrina! xxx
Heidrun, you just made my day with this lovely comment. Put a huge smile on my face!
I love that you gave the recipe your own, creative touch. That is what cooking is all about. Creativity, fun and pleasure.
I will add more recipes asap, i. e.the roastie.
Love,
Sabrina xxx