Moules Marinière

Method

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1. Scrub the mussels and pull the beards off.

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2. Tap any that are open — if they do not close, throw them away. Discard any with broken shells.

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3. Melt the butter in a very wide pan and cook the shallots, garlic and celery for 5 minutes, without colouring.

   Mark done Start 5 min timer

4. Add the wine, bay and thyme and bring to a hard boil for 2 minutes.

   Mark done Start 2 min timer

5. Tip the mussels in — they should be no more than three deep — and cover at once.

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6. Steam 4 minutes, shaking the pan twice, until the shells have opened.

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7. Lift the mussels out with a slotted spoon into warm bowls, discarding any that stayed shut.

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8. Boil the liquor hard for 1 minute, then stir in the cream and pepper.

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9. Taste it — it should not need salt.

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10. Pour the liquor over the mussels, scatter the parsley and serve with the baguette.

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Chef’s Tips

• A wide pan, three deep at most.
• Shake, never stir.
• Anything still shut goes in the bin.

Common Substitutions & Variations

• Double cream won't whip if you swap it, but for the cooking itself, full-fat crème fraîche or a lower-fat single cream works in its place.
• An eighth of a teaspoon of garlic powder per clove is the usual stand-in when you are out of fresh garlic — it will not caramelise the same way, but it carries the flavour.
• A dry vermouth keeps for longer than an open bottle of white wine and is the closer swap than a random white left in the fridge; for an alcohol-free version, use the same amount of stock with a squeeze of lemon.

Pairing Suggestions

• Frites and mayonnaise
• A crusty baguette
• Belgian witbier

Storage & Reheating

Eat immediately. Cooked mussels do not keep well.

Common questions

Nutritional Highlights

Per serving, calculated from the ingredient list. Treat these as an estimate — brands and cuts vary.