Go Back

Classic Mussels with Lemon, Parsley and Wine

Who doesn't love fresh mussels bathed in a tasty sauce of white wine, lemon, butter, garlic and parsley?
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time8 minutes
Course: Appetizer, Main Course, Side Dish
Keyword: butter, garlic, lemon, mussels, parsley, white wine
Servings: 4
Author: Nicole Coudal, My Delicious Blog

Ingredients

  • 1 Lb. Mussels, cleaned and bearded
  • 2-3 Tb. Unsalted butter
  • 1 small Onion, minced
  • 2-3 Garlic cloves, peeled & minced (use less if you're not a garlic fan)
  • 1 pinch Red pepper flakes (optional)
  • 3/4 cup Chicken or vegetable stock
  • 1/2 cup Dry white wine
  • 1 tsp. Lemon zest (about 1 lemon)
  • 2 Tb. Lemon juice (about 1 lemon)
  • 1 large Handful fresh parsley, minced
  • Kosher salt, to taste
  • Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
  • Lemon wedges, for garnish

Instructions

  • Wash, scrub and de-beard mussels. If any are open, toss them! Refrigerate with ice until ready to cook.
  • Place butter into a large, deep skillet over medium/high heat.
  • When butter is melted, reduce heat to medium/low, add onion and garlic (and red pepper flakes, if using). Cook gently until onion is translucent, but don't let the garlic burn!
  • Add stock, wine, lemon zest, lemon juice, a pinch of salt and a few grinds of pepper. Simmer gently 2-3 minutes to reduce the liquid.
  • Place mussels into liquid, cover the pan and steam for 6-8 minutes so the mussels open. Lift the lid and check to see if the majority of them are open. If a few haven't opened, toss them! Taste the sauce and season to taste with salt, pepper and/or fresh lemon juice. Optional: add a little more butter to finish the sauce (it makes it even better!).
  • Turn off heat and transfer mussels to a serving dish. Sprinkle with parsley and garnish with lemon wedges. Serve with crusty bread, pasta or salad (but be sure to have something to soak up all that delicious liquid!).

Notes

Buy mussels the day you plan to cook them since they don't store well for more than 1 day.  Keep them on ice in your refrigerator until ready to put into action.
This is a recipe that doesn't really require exact measurements, so feel free to be flexible and not worry about getting everything perfect :)