Moules Recipe

Prepare mussels

Rinse mussels under cold water, discard any open mussels that do not close when tapped, remove beards and scrub shells. Keep refrigerated until ready to cook.

Heat aromatics

In a large wide pot or Dutch oven over medium heat, melt 2 tbs butter with 1 tbs olive oil. Add the minced shallots (2 tbsp) and cook, stirring, until softened and translucent, about 2–3 minutes. Add the minced garlic and cook 30–45 seconds until fragrant.

Deglaze & build broth

Pour in 1 cup dry white wine and simmer 1–2 minutes to reduce slightly. Add 1 cup chicken or seafood stock, 2 tsp fresh thyme, 1 tsp kosher salt and 1 tsp black pepper. Bring broth to a gentle simmer.

Cook mussels

Increase heat to medium-high. Add the cleaned mussels to the pot, cover tightly, and steam until mussels open, 4–6 minutes. Shake the pot once or twice during cooking to redistribute heat. Discard any mussels that remain closed after 6 minutes.

Finish sauce

Remove lid and add remaining 1 tbs butter and 1 tbs olive oil; stir to melt. Stir in 3 tbs chopped parsley and a squeeze of lemon to brighten. Taste the broth and adjust seasoning if needed.

Serve

Transfer mussels and broth to a warmed shallow bowl or serve straight from the pot with sourdough slices for dipping. Offer lemon wedges at the table.

Cook sausage & build Creole base

In the same pot, before adding the shallots for the base, add 1 tbs olive oil over medium-high heat and brown the sliced andouille (8 oz) for 3–4 minutes until edges caramelize. Remove 1/3 of the sausage and set aside for garnish. Add 1 tbs butter, then proceed with the shallots and garlic (as above). After adding garlic and before deglazing, stir in 2 tbs tomato paste and 1 tsp Creole seasoning; cook 1 minute to deepen flavor. Add 1 bay leaf and optionally 1 tsp hot sauce, then deglaze with the 1 cup white wine and follow the main recipe to add stock and steam mussels.

Finish Creole dish

When mussels are cooked and lid removed, return reserved browned andouille to the pot and stir to warm. Sprinkle sliced green onions over the top and serve with sourdough for dipping into the rich Creole-style broth.

Make Provençal aromatics

For the Provençal variant, use the base recipe but emphasize garlic and herbs: when adding shallot and garlic, add an extra 1 tsp additional minced shallot and an extra clove of garlic if desired. After deglazing with white wine and reducing, stir in 1 tbs chopped basil or tarragon (optional) and 1 tsp lemon zest. Add the final tablespoon of butter to finish for a silky broth.

Serve Provençal

Finish with a generous sprinkling of chopped parsley, a little more cracked pepper and extra lemon wedges. Serve with toasted sourdough to soak up the wine-and-herb broth.