These show-stopping Mussels in White Wine Garlic Sauce are perfect for date night and easy enough for a weeknight dinner. Every steamed mussel is doused in a rich and bright sauce, making each bite an experience on its own.
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Steamed mussels with white wine sauce
A meal featuring fresh seafood and an elegant sauce is enough to impress any foodie in your life. These Mussels in White Wine Garlic Sauce are definitely impressive, but also simple enough to serve for weeknight dinners. The flavors are complex and bright, and the mussels are a breeze to cook!
It all begins with the white wine and garlic sauce. These two are a magical pairing that pop up together in chicken piccata, seafood linguine, and a variety of other comforting recipes. In this garlic white wine mussels recipe, they work together, along with lemon, shallots, and butter, to give the base of the meal layers of bright and savory flavors.
Steaming mussels in white wine garlic sauce is surprisingly easy. Just toss the cleaned mussels in the pot with the sauce, close the lid, and wait for the steam to open them up. It all comes together in less than 30 minutes and pairs perfectly with french fries, caesar salad, and pasta!
Ingredients and substitutions
- Mussels – Mussels are a type of mollusk, just like crabs and oysters. They have a mild flavor with earthy and sweet undertones. This makes them a fantastic choice to pair with rich sauces and broths.
- White wine – Cooking mussels in white wine adds a sophisticated and bright flavor. If you don’t want to use wine, you can replace it with the juice from 1 lemon. There won’t be as much sauce but the finished dish will still be savory and bright.
- Garlic – Feel free to add more fresh cloves if you love that savory bite in white wine sauce.
- Butter – Unsalted preferably. If all you have is salted butter, simply leave out some of the added kosher salt.
- Lemon – The lemon juice gives the garlic and white wine sauce a beautiful brightness. Be sure to buy a few extra lemons as the pop of yellow from the wedges adds a lovely contrast among the dark mussels when serving.
- Cherry tomatoes – For a pop of color and freshness!
Preparing mussels for cooking
Mussels are simple to cook, but the most tedious part is scrubbing and debearding them. You should only prepare the mussels right before you start cooking. You’ll kill them if you do it in advance.
To prepare mussels for cooking:
- Rinse one mussel at a time under cold water while keeping the rest in a bowl on the kitchen counter.
- Pull off the beard (it will look like hair) and scrub the mussel well with a clean sponge or dish towel.
- Discard any mussels that are broken, gaping open, or only slightly open.
Continue until all of the mussels are clean.
How to make mussels in white wine garlic sauce
Making steamed mussels is a fairly hands-off process. Simply cook the white wine and garlic sauce and mussels together in a pan, then serve!
Here’s how it’s done:
- Make the white wine garlic sauce: Add the butter to a large pan over medium-low heat. Once it’s melted, add the garlic and shallots. Saute for a few minutes before adding the wine and lemon juice.
- Cook the mussels: Bring the sauce up to a simmer, then add the mussels. Turn up the heat and place the lid on top of the pan. Let the mussels steam for 2 minutes before removing the lid and giving them a stir.
- Wait for them to open: Place the lid back on top. You’ll know the mussels have finished steaming once they have opened up wide.
- Season and serve: Sprinkle fresh chives over the mussels along with the cut cherry tomatoes and give them one final stir. Scoops some of the mussels and sauce into bowls and serve with crusty bread on the side.
Tips for cooking with mussels
- Storing mussels – Mussels need air to survive. Once you get them home, transfer the fresh mussels to a large bowl and keep it in the fridge.
- Equipment needed – You need a pot or pan with a tight-fitting lid to properly steam mussels. Once they open, mussels will take up much more room in the pan.
- Never boil mussels – Make sure there isn’t more than 1 inch of liquid on the bottom of the pan or else the mussels will boil and not steam (and thus not open).
- Serving sizes – PEI Mussels suggests serving 1-1 ¼ pounds of mussels per person for a main dish or ½ pound for an appetizer. This recipe uses 2 pounds total, which should be enough to serve 2 people.
Frequently asked questions
According to PEI Mussels, 2 pounds of mussels should take between 4 to 6 minutes to steam.
Mussels and french fries (moules frites) are a classic pairing! You can always spruce up plain fries by sprinkling Cajun seasoning, dried herbs, or nutritional yeast over top and serving basil aioli on the side for dipping. Round it all out with a green salad and enjoy.
If you’re feeling a little bit fancier, serve the mussels and sauce over pasta with a baguette on the side for an elegant date night meal.
Choose a dry and crisp white wine that isn’t overly fruity (or else it will overwhelm the dish). Pinot Grigio is a neutral choice that will always pair well, whereas Sauvignon Blanc is more lemony and Chardonnay is richer.
Looking for more seafood recipes?
- Pan-Fried Romesco Shrimp
- Lemon Butter Scallops
- Ahi Tuna Poke Wonton Nachos
- Crab Stuffed Salmon
- Beet and Dill Cured Salmon
Did you try these Mussels in White Wine Garlic Sauce? Let me know what you think by leaving a comment below and giving this recipe a rating! Don’t forget to take a picture tag me on Instagram or use #lenaskitchenblog to be featured in my stories! I love seeing what you come up with!
Mussels in White Wine Garlic Sauce
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 large shallot finely chopped
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- ½ lemon juiced
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt more to taste if needed
- 2 pounds mussels scrubbed and debearded
- 1 ¼ cups dry white wine
- 1 tablespoon chives finely chopped or use parsley
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes halved
- ½ lemon cut into wedges for serving
- ½ baguette torn for serving
Instructions
- Rinse the mussels well under cold water. Pick them over, pulling off any beards and discarding any mussels that are broken or gaping open. If a mussel is slightly open, discard them.
- In a large pan with a lid, heat the butter over medium-low heat. Add the garlic, shallots and cook until fragrant and soft but not colored, 3 to 5 minutes.
- Add the wine and lemon juice to the pan. Bring to a simmer, add mussels. Increase the heat to high, and cover the pan. After 2 minutes, remove the lid and toss the mussels well with a large spoon. Cover the pot again and cook until the mussels have opened wide another 3 to 4 minutes.
- Sprinkle fresh chives over the mussels along with the cut cherry tomatoes and give them one final stir. Scoops some of the mussels and sauce into bowls and serve with crusty bread on the side.
- Divide the mussels and the broth among bowls. Serve the crusty baguette and lemon wedges alongside.
Notes
- Storing mussels – Mussels need air to survive. Once you get them home, transfer the fresh mussels to a large bowl and keep it in the fridge.
- Equipment needed – You need a pot or pan with a tight-fitting lid to properly steam mussels. Once they open, mussels will take up much more room in the pan.
- Never boil mussels – Make sure there isn’t more than 1 inch of liquid on the bottom of the pan or else the mussels will boil and not steam (and thus not open).
- Serving sizes – PEI Mussels suggests serving 1-1 ¼ pounds of mussels per person for a main dish or ½ pound for an appetizer. This recipe uses 2 pounds total, which should be enough to serve 2 people.
Jill
When do u add the cherry tomatoes?
lena
Hi, Jill thanks for asking, must have missed adding that step, my apologies. They go in with the chives at the end after the mussels are cooked, I wanted to add freshness to them and the residual heat will slightly cook the tomatoes.