Mussels in White Wine and Garlic Butter Sauce

On the Menu Today~
Mussels in White Wine and
Garlic Sauce

What are mussels?
Mussels you find in grocery stores or
served in restaurants are called "Mytilus edulis" "Blue Mussels" or
by the common name: Edible Mussels.
This type of mussels grow all along the Atlantic coastline from the Virginia coastline to the Arctic. These salt water mussels are bivalves just like oysters, clams and scallops.
The Atlantic Blue Mussels are native to North America.

Mussels are filter feeders and
Get their food from the aquatic environment they live in.
They filter water through their gills,
separating the plankton from the water and
spilling out the other particles they don't eat, keeping them 100% natural.

Mussels shells are smooth with a blue,
black to brown color with a D-shaped, triangular shell.
The meat of male mussels are cream colored and
the females are coral colored.
They both taste the same..
Delicious~

You can buy mussels at the grocery store or
at a seafood market to enjoy eating at home.
Mussels are sold in mesh bags or
can be found loose and on ice at the seafood counter.

Fresh mussels come with a tag that tells you when and
where the mussels were harvested,
The tag will be attached to the mesh bag or
ask at the seafood counter, if buying loose, to see the tag.

Mussels should smell like the ocean, fresh and salty.
At the seafood counter,
make sure the mussels are on ice and they should be wet.
A good seafood market should turn the mussels over often and
mist the mussels throughout the day.

You can eat mussels as soon as you get them home or
depending on the date, you can store them in your fridge for a few days before eating.
When you get the mussels home,
take them out of the mesh bag and place in a bowl or tray.
Cover with a damp cloth or a paper towel to keep them moist.
Do not store mussels in water or a sealed container.
Drain the small amount of liquid that will drain from the mussels each day.
Keep the mussels in the coldest section of your refrigerator.
Just before cooking, rinse mussels in fresh water.

Mussels in White Wine and Garlic Butter Sauce

Ingredients

• 4 pounds fresh mussels, scrubbed and debearded
• 10 tablespoons butter
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 3/4 cup finely chopped shallots
• 6 large cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup white wine
• 1/2 cup water
• 4 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon grated lemon peel
• thick slices of country-style bread, buttered

Cooking Directions

1. Heat oil and butter in a heavy pot over medium-high heat.
2. Add shallots, season with salt and pepper.
3. Cook stirring often until softened, about 5 minutes.
4. Add garlic and cook 2 minutes longer. Add wine, bring to a boil.
5. Reduce heat and simmer until liquid is slightly reduced about 1 minute. Add mussels and 1/2 cup water to pot. Cover and reduce heat to medium. Cook stirring occasionally until mussels open, 10 to 12 minutes. (discard any mussels that do not open)
6. Spoon mussels and broth into shallow bowls.

Top with chopped parsley, lemon juice and lemon peel
Serve with thick slices of buttered bread

How to steam mussels~

• Mussels

1. Place a little bit of water in a pot, just a 1/4 cup is often enough to provide steam.
2. Turn the heat to high.
3. Add mussels to the pot and put on the lid.
4. When the steam is coming out from under the lid, take a peek. 
5. If the mussels are open, they're done.
6. This will take 5 to 10 minutes, depending on how much liquid you used and the amount of mussels you have

Mussels, White Wine, Butter, Sauce