How much do you pay for a mussels appetizer at a restaurant? $11? $14? Some places in NYC even charge over $20! Today I bought a bag of PEI mussels from ShopRite for $4.99!
Of course you have to do a little work, scrubbing them and cooking them yourself. But hey, if you can save a few bucks, it's worth it! Recipe below, enjoy!
Time: 20 mins
Ingredients:
- 1 bag PEI mussels
- 1/2 bottle white wine (I used a Bordeaux)
- 4 cloves garlic (use 2 cloves if you prefer)
- 2 tablespoons butter or margarine
- 1 handful fresh parsley
- 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
- 1 French Baguette to compliment the mussels
- 1 teaspoon black pepper & 1 teaspoon sea salt
Recipe:
- Scrub the mussels thoroughly, throwing out any that are not fully closed or have cracks in them. Set them aside.
- Slice the garlic cloves and chop 1/2 of the parsley (leave a few behind leaves for garnish)
- In a medium - large saucepan, melt the butter and garlic until the garlic is slightly browned.
- Add the white wine and lemon juice, salt and pepper - bring to a boil.
- Add the mussels into the pot carefully, to avoid breaking them (I used a strainer-spoon so that I could place them lightly without getting burned).
- Cover the pot and let the mussels steam for about 4-5 mins or until they pop open.
- While the mussels are steaming, cut the French baguette into diagonal slices, or however you want them shaped.
- Toast the bread in a 350 degree oven for about 5 mins or as crispy as desired.
- Place the mussels in a bowl that will hold the sauce, but leave the sauce in the pan and let simmer for another 10 mins so it reduces to about half.
- Devour the mussels, dip the bread in the sauce, & drink the rest of the wine with this meal!
Serving suggestion: I wanted a light dinner so I had this by itself; you can serve it over a plate of linguini cooked al dente. The sauce will go great with the pasta and it will make for a more filling meal!