A steaming pot of fresh mussels, briefly steamed with white wine, onion, celery and parsley, served with a mountain of crisp Belgian frites and mayonnaise. The dish with which Belgium put itself on the culinary map.
Mussels with chips (Moules-frites)
Mussels with chips (Moules-frites)
Method
01
Clean the mussels
Rinse the mussels thoroughly under cold running water and remove the beards and any barnacles (mussels that stay open after a tap should close; otherwise discard them).
02
Sweat the onion and garlic
Melt the butter in a very large pan with a lid. Sweat the onion, celery and garlic for approx. 5 minutes until soft.
03
Add the mussels
Turn up the heat. Add the mussels and the white wine, put the lid on the pan and shake well.
04
Steam
Steam the mussels for 5–7 minutes, shaking the pan vigorously once halfway, until all the shells are open. Discard any mussels that have stayed closed.
05
Finish
Stir in the parsley and season with pepper (salt is usually not needed; mussels are naturally salty).
06
Serve
Spoon straight into deep bowls or the cooking pot itself, with the cooking liquor. Serve with a generous portion of frites and mayonnaise on the side.
Tips & notes
Store live mussels covered with a damp cloth in the fridge until use, never in a sealed bag (they need to be able to breathe). Before cooking, tap any slightly open mussels; if they don't close, they are dead and must be discarded.
Variations
- Replace the white wine with a blond Belgian abbey beer for Belgian-style mussels.
- Add diced tomato and a splash of cream for mussels provençale.
Contains:
Eggs
Milk
Molluscs
Celery
Sulphites
Serve with
| Calories | 637 kcal |
|---|---|
| Protein | 62 g |
| Carbohydrates | 32 g |
| Fat | 23 g |
| Fibre | 2 g |
Estimated values, calculated from standard nutritional values per ingredient.
