Mussels with White Wine & Parsley

This mussel recipe absolutely delicious, quick and easy to make, and perfect for date night!

Prep: 15 mins
Cook: 5 mins
Calories: Consider this one a treat!

Ingredients (makes 1kg mussels):
1kg mussels in shells (the fresher the better!)
175ml white wine
1 shallot (finely chopped)
Chopped parsley (to serve)

Method:
1. Fill your sink with cold water and tip the mussels in. Swish them around with your hands and wash them thoroughly, using a small sharp knife to scrape of any barnacles and discarding any mussels with broken shells.

2. Pull off the beards using the knife – they may need a good tug! The beard is the brown, wispy part that hangs out of the joint of the shell. Not all of the mussels will have beards. If any of the mussels are open, give them a sharp tap on the side of the sink or with the knife and if they don’t close you should discard them. It means they are dead and not edible.

3. Rinse the muscles again under fresh, cold water to remove any bits of shell or barnacle and then drain them. Move the muscles into a large pan and add the wine and chopped shallots – the pan should be no more than half full as the mussels need space to move around so they cook thoroughly.

4. Put the pan over a high heat and cover tightly with a lid. When the pan starts to steam, cook the mussels for 3-4 minutes, shaking the pan often so that they cook evenly. You will see they are cooked when the shells have opened, and any mussels that have not opened will be fine to eat, as long as you can open then easily.

5. Remove the pan from the heat to stop the mussels from overcooking. Sprinkle with the chopped parsley and then spoon them into warm bowls and pour over the juices.

Top Tip: You can serve this with fries or thick and crusty bread to mop up the juices!