Mussels in white wine make the quickest seafood dinner: one pan, 25 minutes and a sauce for dunking bread. Fresh Black Sea mussels are sold at the market in Burgas, and garlic, wine and lemon give them a rich flavour.

25 minprep 10 min · cooking 15 min
4 servingsDinner
Easydifficulty
500 kcalper serving

Ingredients

  • 2 kgmussels in their shells
  • 2 tbspolive oil
  • 40 gbutter (20 g for frying and 20 g cold for the sauce)
  • 1 (150 g)onion, finely chopped
  • 6 clovesgarlic, finely chopped
  • 250 mldry white wine
  • 1/2 tspchilli flakes (optional)
  • 1 bunch (30 g)parsley, finely chopped
  • 1lemon
  • to tasteblack pepper and salt
  • 400 gcountry bread for dipping in the sauce

Method

  1. Clean the mussels

    Rinse the mussels under cold running water and pull off the stringy beards. Throw away any that are broken or that stay open when you tap them on the worktop.

    Do not soak the mussels in fresh water. It kills them and they lose their flavour.

    Mussels in white wine — Clean the mussels

  2. Fry the onion

    Heat the olive oil and 20 g of butter in a wide pan with a lid over a medium heat. Fry the onion for 3–4 minutes, until soft and translucent.

    Mussels in white wine — Fry the onion

  3. Add the garlic

    Add the garlic and the chilli flakes, if you are using them. Stir for 30 seconds, until the garlic softens but does not brown.

    Mussels in white wine — Add the garlic

  4. Pour in the wine

    Pour in the wine and let it simmer over a high heat for 2 minutes, until the sharp smell of alcohol is gone.

    Mussels in white wine — Pour in the wine

  5. Steam the mussels

    Tip the mussels into the pan, cover and cook over a high heat for 4–5 minutes. Shake the pan once halfway through. The mussels are ready when the shells open.

    Do not add salt until you have tasted the sauce, because the mussels release sea water.

    Mussels in white wine — Steam the mussels

  6. Finish the sauce

    Throw away any mussels that stayed closed. Take the pan off the heat and add the remaining 20 g of cold butter, the parsley and the juice of half a lemon. Shake the pan so the sauce comes together. Season with black pepper and salt only if needed.

    Mussels in white wine — Finish the sauce

  7. Serve at once

    Spoon the mussels and sauce into deep bowls and put out one more bowl for the empty shells. Cut the other half of the lemon into wedges.

    Mussels in white wine — Serve at once

How to serve

Serve in deep bowls with the toasted bread, lemon wedges and a separate bowl for the shells.

Per serving (approximate): 500 kcal · protein 25 g · fat 18 g · carbohydrates 56 g