Chef's Notes
Moules (Mussels) Marinière and Mussels Poulette are both delicious over pasta, rice, or couscous to soak up the sauce.
Making Mussels Marinière
Wash the mussels, removing any barnacles or beards and scrubbing well if sandy. Place in a large saucepan with the remaining ingredients. Bring to a strong boil; it will take about 5 minutes. Cover and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until the mussels all open. (If there are some that don’t open after an extended period of time, they should be discarded.) Serve as is with the cooking liquid (liquor) for the Moules Marinière.
To make Billi Bi Soup, Mussels Provençal Gratinée and Mussels Rémoulade after the mussels have cooked, using a large slotted spoon or spider, remove them from the liquid in their shells, reserving the cooking liquid (liquor). See recipes that follow.
Step 1: Making Mussels Marinière
- 2 pounds mussels (about 40)
- 1 ½ teaspoons minced garlic
- 1 cup dry white wine
- ½ cup chopped onion
- Dash kosher salt
- Dash freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
Step 2: Making Mussels Poulette (variation from Mussels Marinière)
- ½ teaspoon herbes de Provence or Italian seasoning
- 3 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley
- 1 ½ teaspoons potato starch dissolved in 1 tablespoon water
- Heavy cream
To make Moules Marinière into Moules Poulette, add the herbes de Provence or Italian seasoning and the parsley to the wine mixture. Once the mussels are cooked, using a large slotted spoon or spider, remove the mussels in their shells from the pan and serve on the half shell (by simply removing the top shells). Put the mussels on the half shell in a large serving bowl. Thicken the cooking liquid with the dissolved potato starch and water, then add a small amount of cream to finish the sauce. Pour over the mussels.
Step 3: Making Billi Bi Soup
- Reserved cooking liquid (liquor) from Moules Marinière
- 1 ½ teaspoons potato starch dissolved in 1 tablespoon water
- Dash Sriracha or other hot sauce
- ½ cup heavy cream
- 3 tablespoons minced chives
Bring the cooking liquid to a boil, add the diluted starch and the Sriracha, and then bring back to a boil. Remove from the heat and stir in the cream and chives. Set aside to cool and then refrigerate. If needed, to cool immediately, carefully set the bowl in an ice bath (larger bowl with ice water). Divide among bowls and serve cold.
Step 4: Making Mussels Provençal Gratinée
- 18-20 steamed mussels from half recipe Moules Marinière
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- Dash salt
- Dash freshly ground black pepper
- ½ slice white bread, coarsely chopped
Preheat the broiler, adjusting the oven rack to be 4 to 5 inches below. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.
Arrange the mussels on the baking sheet. Mix together the butter, oil, parsley, garlic, salt and pepper, and divide the mixture on top of the mussels. This can be done ahead.
Broil until the topping is golden brown, 3 to 4 minutes, and serve immediately.
Step 5: Making Mussels Rémoulade
- 18-20 steamed mussels from half recipe Moules Marinière
- 3 tablespoons mayonnaise
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 ½ teaspoons capers, drained
- Dash Tabasco or other hot sauce
- 2 teaspoons chopped gherkins or cornichon
- 1 teaspoon anchovy paste
- 1 tablespoon chopped flat-leaf parsley, plus additional for garnish
- Lettuce leaves, for serving
In a medium bowl, combine the mayonnaise, mustard, capers, Tabasco, gherkins, anchovy paste and parsley. Add the mussels and stir carefully to coat them with sauce. (If you have a little of the onion and cooking liquid from the Mussels Marinière, that can be added as well.)
Line 2 plates with lettuce leaves and spoon half of the Mussels Rémoulade into the center of each. Garnish with the parsley and serve immediately.