Recipe: Moules Frites

As a huge seafood fan, I sometimes need to bring some coastline feeling to the Black Forest.

The ingredients:

Only few things on the shopping list

Only few things on the shopping list

First thing first: Mussels of course. 1kg per person. On the pictures is 2kg of Mussels

Garlic: 2-3 cloves per kg mussels

White wine, dry, about 250ml per kg mussels

Bay leaf, 1-2 per kg mussels

Some carrot, celery, leek, onion, lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper

Pommes frites, French fries, chips, whatever you call them...

The preparations:

Make sure to keep your knife sharp, it´s a lot of cutting

Make sure to keep your knife sharp, it´s a lot of cutting

Cut all the vegetable into fine cubes. The finer the better. Cut the leek in half the long way and cut fine strips. On the picture is also parsley root because I had some left, but it isn't strictly necessary.

Don´t mind your water bill

Don´t mind your water bill

Wash and clean the mussels in cold fresh water. Peel off limescale deposits and those hair some mussels have. Important: separate those mussels that are already open, we don't want them if they're dead already.

Knock on their shell and put them aside. Some will close slowly, if they do they're still alive and good to eat. Dead mussels are going straight to the bin, we only want firmly closed pieces. Don't worry if they open up again after we put them on the "good pile". They are opening to breathe.

The "good pile". 5 Mussels were dead already and they went to the bin

The "good pile". 5 Mussels were dead already and they went to the bin

Let's go:

smells good already

smells good already

Take a big pot which all the mussels will fit in. We want to steam them not boil them. Fry the onion in olive oil until close to translucent, then add the garlic and sauté. When onions are translucent, add the rest of the vegetables and sauté as well for 3-4 minutes. Deglaze with the white wine, add the bay leaf, pepper and carefully salt. Cover the pot and let it simmer for a couple of minutes. We want the veg to be still chewy but not raw.

Don´t let too much water disappear

Don´t let too much water disappear

Tasty broth

Tasty broth

Almost ready

Almost ready

Add the mussels and stir gently. Then cover the pot and let them steam for 10-15 minutes until all mussels have opened themselves. If you like to stir again during the process be gentle.

Some say that mussels that are still closed after cooking aren´t good to eat, some say that it's okay to eat them. I myself eat them. Decide on your own risk.

Enjoy

Enjoy

Don´t forget the lemon

Don´t forget the lemon

Garnish on a plate and add some of the broth. Serve some mayo for the Pommes Frites. Squeeze some lemon juice over the mussels as you like. You can use an empty shell as a gripping tool to peel the flesh out of their shells, but you will get your hands dirty anyway.

Hope you enjoy!

Moulet Frites

A Belgian classic. This recipe is for 2 persons. Vary the amount of ingredients if there are more people

Prep time1h

Cook time15min

Total time1h 15min

Serves2

CuisineBelgian

MealDinner

Ingredients

• Mussels 1kg per person, in this case 2kg
• Garlic 5-6 cloves
• Onion: 2
• White wine 400-500ml
• Carrots, celery, leek: some for your broth
• Bayleaf 2-3
• Lemon, some juice of it
• Olive oil, a few tablespoon
• Salt and Pepper
• Mayo and French Fries: depends on hunger, so plenty of

Instructions

1. Chop the veg into small cubes, the smaller the better
2. Wash and clean the Mussels, dispose dead ones. That´s important!
3. Fry the onions in olive oil until close to translucent, then add the garlic. When onion translucent add the veg and let it sauté for a couple of minutes
4. Add the white wine, bayleaf, salt and pepper. Cover the pot and let it simmer for a couple of minutes.
5. Add the mussels, stir carefully, cover the pot and let it steam for 10-15 minutes until all mussels opened themselves. Throw away still closed mussels if you're not sure. I eat them but decide on your own risk.
6. Prepare French fries.
7. Garnish on a plate, spill some lemon juice over the mussels as you like, enjoy.

Recipe by

Alex R.