Perfect Mussels Provencale
Perfect Mussels Provencale is a French-style recipe for mussels cooked with ripe tomatoes, shallots, garlic, olive oil, and white wine. Shellfish, like mussels, is one of the easiest meals to prepare and cook. These Mussels Provençale sounds fancy, but this French seafood dish is very simple and easy to make. Best of all, they always turn out very light, delicate, and packed with fresh flavors.
These Perfect Mussels Provencale… and More!
This is a simple recipe – but the result always makes these mussels turn out so darn delicious – your family and friends will lick their fingers every time.
Mussels are sometimes meant to be an appetizer but we so much enjoy them as a meal, all by themselves, and especially with friends.
If you are entertaining dinner for a small group (or for someone special) and want to “wow” them with something delicious and elegant, but effortless, this is a dish you should make, our Perfect Mussels Provencale.
This dish is simple, elegant, and refined. And, so much fun to eat!
Serve these mussels with a side of our parmesan truffle oil potato wedges, or with spaghetti and some crusty bread to soak up some of that delicious sauce. So yummy! 🙂
How to Shop for Fresh Mussels?
When shopping for mussels at any seafood market, here are a few important tips you need to remember:
- When you buy mussels, take a closer look to make sure their shells are fully closed. Otherwise, if you find some are opened, means they’re not good, and should not be purchased.
- They should also smell fresh, like the sea. So ask if you can sniff and smell them.
- Often, you can choose and pick out your mussels. If they are loose, and they are placed into a bag, make sure the bag is open at the top, so they can breathe.
What to Do When You Bring Mussels Home?
- Keep them Chilled: When you get home, keep the mussels on ice, or refrigerated until you are ready to cook them.
- Allow them to Breathe: Make sure they are kept either in an open bag or in a large bowl, uncovered. This will allow them to breathe. Do not close the bag, or they will die and open up, and you will have to discard them.
- Pinch them Closed: If some mussels begin to open, pinch them closed, and run them under cold running water for a a few minutes.
How to Clean and Prepare Mussels?
When you are ready to cook them, rinse them well a few times. Examine them. If you find any mussels open, just give them a pinch to close them. If they don’t stay closed, then those should be thrown out.
- Place the mussels into a large pot or large bowl, and place them inside your kitchen sink.
- Run cold tap water over them for a few minutes to clean any debris or any sand from them, at least 5 to 10 minutes.
- Drain and change the tap water a few times to remove any further debris from them. Drain in a colander.
Ingredients needed for Perfect Mussels Provencale recipe:
- fresh mussels
- extra virgin olive oil
- butter
- fresh ripe tomatoes
- large shallots
- large cloves of garlic
- white wine
- crushed red pepper flakes
- sea salt
Cook’s Notes and Tips:
- Mussels should be cooked immediately after washing and rinsing, to retain freshness.
- It’s best to cook the vegetables first, for at least 18 to 20 minutes, before the mussels are tossed in. This can be done while you are rinsing the mussels under cold running tap water.
- Keep in mind, you can make this mussel dish a little spicier by adding additional crushed red pepper flakes to this recipe.
- Always taste the sauce, then you can adjust the seasonings to your liking.
Mussels Provencale is perfect when the mussels are cooked on high heat with shallots, fresh tomatoes, lots of garlic, and a generous amount of white wine.
How many Mussels do we need?
It’s a good idea to plan about one pound for every person. If you are having 6 guests for dinner, then 6 pounds would be sufficient.
How to serve Mussels Provencale?
- Serve them in a bowl with a large spoon and allow everyone to serve themselves at the table. It’s so much fun!
- Have a basket full of crusty French bread at the table for serving, to soak up some of the sauce.
- You can even dish out some mussels and serve them over spaghetti, and spoon some of that yummy sauce over the entire dish.
Perfect Mussels Provencale as a Delicious Meal…
This dish is from the region of Provence, which is located in the south of France, near the city of Marseille. Provence is famous for its seafood dishes as well as the birthplace of bouillabaisse, which is a spicy mixed seafood soup.
Most people may think French dishes are elaborate and time-consuming. But the beautiful thing about our Perfect Mussels Provencale is that it is one of the easiest dishes to prepare.
It’s literally the best!
ENJOY!!
Finally, more delicious seafood recipes…
- Spaghetti with Lobster Tails Sauce
- Little Neck Clams in Wine and Garlic Broth
- Easy Baked Shrimp Scampi Dinner
- Quick Mussels Fra Diavolo
- Easy Shrimp Dinner
- Spaghetti with Shrimp Marinara
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Perfect Mussels Provencale
Yield:
servings 6 to 8
Prep Time:
10 minutes
Cook Time:
20 minutes
Total Time:
30 minutes
Perfect Mussels Provencale are cooked and steamed with ripe tomatoes, shallots, garlic, olive oil, and white wine. Simple, easy, and loaded with fresh flavors!
4.5 Stars (11 Reviews)
Ingredients
- 4 pounds mussels
- 2/3 cup olive oil
- 4 Tbsp. butter
- 5 ripe tomatoes- sliced
- 4 shallots- thinly sliced
- 3 large cloves of garlic - sliced
- 1 tsp. sea salt, (and extra to taste)
- 1/8 tsp. paprika
- 1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
- 1.5 cups white wine - divided
Instructions
- In an ex-large saucepan, heat olive oil and butter on moderate heat. Toss in the shallots, garlic, and tomatoes, salt, paprika, and crushed red pepper. Cover and simmer on a low flame, and cook the vegetables for 10 to 12 minutes.
- Pour in 3/4 cup of white wine and cover again, and continue to cook for an additional 5 to 7 minutes.
- Toss in the mussels. Cover, and raise the flame to high heat. Cook the mussels on high heat for 5 minutes. Stirring and tossing them in the pot, every so often.
- Pour in an additional 3/4 cup of white wine. Cover again, and continue to cook on high heat for an additional few minutes, until all the mussels are open.
- Turn off the heat. Taste the sauce and adjust the seasonings to taste. Transfer to a serving bowl. Serve immediately.
- Serves 6 to 8
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 6 to 8 Serving Size: 1/2 poundAmount Per Serving: Calories: 441Total Fat: 27.8gSaturated Fat: 7gCholesterol: 79mgSodium: 986mgCarbohydrates: 12.7gNet Carbohydrates: 11.7gFiber: 1gSugar: 2.1gProtein: 27.8g
Stay Healthy … and Happy Cooking! 🙂
Thanks for stopping by!
xo anna and liz
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Weeknight Dinners Made Easy
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May I make a suggestion? Fresh mussels should open in 3 to at most 5 minutes. Further cooking makes them rubbery and they literally start to shrink and are no longer plump and sweet. If you want to make a thicker “sauce”, cook the veggies in wine (or seafood stock) for a few more minutes to boil off more of the liquid, then toss in the mussels for the last 4-5 minutes and remove immediately from the stove! Bon Appetit!
Thanks Bill! We agree and will go in to edit that part, so it will be less confusing in the instructions. Thanks again!
What an elegant dish, yet so easy! This would be perfect for Valentine’s Day!!
Thank you so much, Liz. The French really know how to make elegant dishes that taste fabulous without a ton of ingredients. Have a great day! 🙂
I dearly love mussels but my husband is not a fan 🙁 One day when we can go to our favorite French restaurant again I’ll be ordering Moules et Frites. ♥
That sounds wonderful! We are fortunate enough to have all the restaurants open here in Charleston, but wished it was the same everywhere.
Thanks for stopping by Susan! Have a great day! 🙂