Mussels Dijonnaise
Steamed Mussels with Mustard Sauce
Chef June Jacobs, CCP

This is an easy and delicious variation on the classic Moules
Marinière. You can leave out the mustard if you wish, and/or the
cream…. But then you won’t be making my recipe! Be sure to have lots
of crusty bread to sop up the luscious sauce.

Makes 4 servings

Ingredients:

1/4 cup finely chopped onions
2 tablespoons finely chopped shallots
1 teaspoon finely chopped garlic
3 quarts mussels, beards removed, cleaned and scrubbed
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
1 bay leaf
2 sprigs fresh thyme or 1/2 teaspoon dried
1/4 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons finely chopped flat-leaf parsley

Preparation:

Heat the butter in a large saucepan until melted. Add the onions,
shallots and garlic and cook briefly, until wilted. Do not brown.

Add the mussels, salt, pepper, bay leaf, thyme, white wine and cream.
Cover closely and bring to a boil.

Cook for about 5 minutes, shaking to redistribute the mussels. Cook
until all the mussels are opened.

Using a slotted spoon, transfer the mussels to a serving bowl. Keep
warm. Continue cooking the sauce for a minute, remove bay leaf and the
thyme.

Stir in the mustard with a wire whisk while heating. Do not boil.

Spoon equal portions of the sauce over the mussels and sprinkle with
parsley. Serve immediately with crusty bread

Teacher’s Tip: The beard on a mussel is seaweed that has gotten caught
in the shell. Most widely available mussels are farm-raised and
generally beardless and sand-free, but if you get the “wild” kind, you
will need to pull the beards off. They are edible, but generally not
appetizing nor attractive.

Wine Tip: My favorite wine with this dish is Sonoma-Cutrer Russian
River Ranches Chardonnay. A French Chablis or flinty Muscadet would
also pair well, tho differently.


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