This is in many ways a timeless post. The images come from different mussel feasts, but the feast itself differs only by who makes the moules, what kind of fries we have, and where we eat. The picture on the right is the gold standard though. Nadine’s moules in the cast iron dutch oven I can only just lift when it is empty. This was the serving for 6, although there were leftovers to be heated up for Andrée (and me) the next day (and they tasted just as good reheated). On the day of that feast, Yvon and Nadine showed up with this huge haul of mussels that they saw in Albi and could not resist. As much as I love oysters, mussels are my first love and I really could eat them every day. As you can see Nadine’s sauce is creamy and very strong (two bottles of wine went into this one). Mine is more mellow. I included my recipe below, but everyone has their own and mostly we just add the various ingredients until it looks/tastes right.
Moules are so easy, and if you use oven chips you have a fabulous meal in 30-40 minutes. Yvon gave us a real frittes-maker and a device that cuts the potatoes, but it is more of a production and you have to deal with hot fat so even he uses frozen frittes on an average day and saves the real thing for cook-outs in the summer. So no shame!
First the cleaning. Fill a bowl or sink with cold water and pour in the mussels (yes, they are still alive, that is the down-side for this pescaterian). Remove those with broken shells and if any are open, tap them on the side of the sink to see if they close. If they close, they are good; if they stay open, discard them. Then just pull off the “beards” that extend out from the shell and anything stuck to the shells (this does not have to be perfect). Then give them another wash and you are ready to add them to the liquid. Cleaning is always more pleasant with two. In this picture it is Nadine and Françoise. Today it was Walter and me, at least until I ducked away to work on the cooking liquids.
Better than the time issue is that Moules are cheap! I paid €5.50 per kilo for the freshest mussels with almost no waste. A kilo is good for 4 people as a main with fries and crusty bread, although if you love them go for one and a half or even two. With two kilos even we have leftovers, but if you boil a few soup potatoes [see October 19, 2024], throw in a leek, blend a bit and then add the shelled moules and their juice and butter or cream to taste you have a fabulous quick soup for the next day.
Today was market day and it dawned chilly and raining. Not heavy rain, but wet enough for shoes and coats to soak through pretty quickly. On a day like this I often skip the market (or wait and see if it dries up, which ends up having the same outcome), but last week the Oyster lady said she’d keep a bag of mussels for me, so I felt honor bound to go rather than risk her being left with mussels on her hands at the end of the day. So, Walter called Andrée and Deborah and told them we’d be having moules frittes, and I ended up getting 2 kilo of small, dark mussels (which Deborah says are from Northern France). I’m making soup with the left-overs (about one serving).
The market was surprisingly busy in spite of the rain (but I snagged a great parking space), and having reappeared last week, the foie gras guy was there again, along with the oyster mushroom seller. That’s it. Just oyster mushrooms to be sold until she runs out. (I couldn’t resist). The was a small clothes stall, too (I was hoping she’d have long-sleeved t-shirts, but she didn’t). No eggs, and nobody selling soaps or baskets, obviously. One of the vegetable stalls at the side had a tray of aillet, young garlic before the bulbs form (it tastes like a cross between garlic and baby leeks). The rain was quite steady and dripping annoyingly off the covers over the stalls. But folks took it in their stride. The cooperative oyster (& mussel) seller who was here at Christmas and New Year showed up again [see December 20, 2025]. Same spot on the side by the road and I was tempted, but I stuck with the lady in her usual position by the café. And we did well. The mussels were small and black with smooth shells, not much “beard” and very tasty.
How to make the perfect Moules (my way)
Start with fresh mussels. This is the recipe for 2 kilos . Adjust as needed.
INGREDIENTS
All you really NEED is mussels, wine, and whatever is around to give it a bite
- Mussels. 2 kilos
- Butter (fancy salted kind), 2 TBS. It is also good—but different—if you replace the butter with good olive oil
- White wine, cheap is fine. Dry is good. You need 2 -3 cups (about half a bottle)
- Shallots. 2 large, or 3 or 4 smaller (as much as you like). You can use leek bulb instead,
- Parsley, one or two handfulls
- Garlic (optional) one or two bulbs (or more). You can use a little leek instead, or Aillet if available
- Bay leaf (optional). Nice but if you don’t have one no sweat
- Thyme (a few sprigs if you have some fresh)
- Cream (optional — but nice). * European coconut cream works very well here. Around 2 TBS
- Lemon, juice of half (some zest if you feel fancy)
PREPARATION
If you’re making fries in the oven, you’ll want to allow about 20 minutes once it reaches 200º or 225º so do that now!
- Prepare the moules: Rinse, debeard, clean shells, and rinse again.
- Prepare the aromatics:
- Finely chop the shallots (or leeks if you prepare)
- Finely chop garlic or aillet if using
- Chop the parsley and plan to use about a third in the sauce (the rest to garnish)
METHOD
- Sweat the aromatics
- Add a nob of butter (or good olive oil) to the pan in which you’ll cook your mussels . A large dutch oven works well, cast iron pot, or special mussel pot like I have (the lid doubles as a bowl for the shells)
- When it melts add the chopped shallot/leek, garlic/aillet, about a third of the parsley, spring of thyme and bay leaf if using and stir over a low heat
- Do not fry them or let them turn brown. We’re going for transparent.
- Add the wine (2-3 cups or half the bottle) when the shallots or whatever you’re using turn transparent
- Simmer the wine for at least 5 minutes so it continues to cook the ingredients and cooks off the alcohol
- Add the mussels all in one go when the sauce tastes good. Cover.
- Some people give it a gentle stir every now and then (Nadine & I do, and it is good if you have a lot of mussels)
- When the mussels have all opened you are ready. Taste one if you like, but you do not want to overcook them
- Add the parsley, a squeeze of the lemon, butter, and cream if using, stir, taste and adjust seasoning as desired
SERVE
Ladle moules and sauce into bowls. Serve with crusty bread for dipping and Fries.
- A fancy addition is to remove the mussels, use a whisk to incorporate the cream and the butter into the source to make it thicker and emulsified, then add the mussels back, stir, and leave over a low heat for 2-3 minutes and then serve. I do this sometimes and it is good. But it is also more work and people are generally fairly desperate to get those moules into their mouths! (I suggest doing this if the fries aren’t ready yet…)
ENJOY!
LEFT OVERS SOUP
Boil two or three mid- large starchy potatoes, a chopped leek (green and white parts), two or three (or more) cloves of garlic in enough lightly salted water to cover. A parsnip is a good addition, too. Add mashed white beans if you want more protein. When they are soft, blend or mash if you prefer it more lumpy. Shell the left over mussels and add them and their juices to the soup. Add cream and/or butter to taste
*In France and the UK they sell small cartons of cream made from coconut milk. It is an excellent substitute for cow’s cream in anything (this is NOT the same as the coconut cream sold in the US).
