Moules A La Mariniere.

Mussels with white wine and garlic is a slight deviation from the classic Moules A La Mariniere. Only by the addition of garlic and that is not strictly true. How ever for my version of the dish you will need.

25g/1oz butter
500g/1lb 2oz mussels
1 shallot or small onion finely diced
1 or 2 garlic cloves, more if you like.
125ml/9floz dry white wine
125ml/9floz double cream
Fresh chopped parsley.
Salt and pepper to taste.

Now before you start you want to make sure that your mussels are alright to use. Do not collect your mussels from the wild unless you are certain the water is not polluted. And if you do collect them your self never do it in the summer.

Try and cook the mussels on the day of purchase. If you have to keep them of a day or so then keep them chilled and best of all in some salted water. Fresh water will kill them. If they look muddy and you have collected them you can put them in a bucket of water with 1tdsp of flour and about 50g/1¾oz salt. Keep them over night and this will help clean the mussels.

If you are like most of us you will get them fresh from a shop so all you need to do is clean them. Remove the beard, this is a long strangely bit that fixed the shell to the rock. Then scrub and scrap of any barnacles. Avoid any that are heavier than any of the other, they might be full of sand or mud. If they are open tap them, if they do not close then best not to use them. Also discard any that are cracked and any that do not open when cooked.

So all you have to do now is cook them and nothing could be as easy. Take a deep pan with a tight fitting lid. Add the butter and let it melt then add the shallots or onion and the garlic. Soften the onions till they are soft then add the wine and the mussels. Place the lid on the pan and let them cook in the steam for a while. Once the mussels have opened scoop them out and place in to a bowl, and keep them warm.

Then return the pan with all the liquid back to the heat and turn up the gas to full. Add the cream and bring to a boil, and keep at a good rolling boil so that the sauce reduces and thickens a little. Finally add the parsley and a little salt and pepper to taste.

Some fresh crusty bread and you have a snack that is fit for a king.