The Best Mussels

This Mussels recipe is one of my all time favorites. It’s a European style recipe that incorporates the presence of Italian, french and Spanish cooking. This is also how the Olive Garden serves their Mussels. So if you’ve ever seen or ordered them there, this is more or less what you’re getting from this recipe.  The Mussels are covered and steamed with a small amount of boiling water, then drowned in a fresh Lemon Garlic Butter Broth that’s prepared in under a few minutes on the stove top.  Not only is this marinade amazing over the top of these Mussels, it is fantastic for dipping bread. My wife and I made our entire lunch out of 2 lbs of Mussels and a Crunch Roll loaf of bread when I prepared this recipe.

How do Mussels taste?

As I just described, Mussels truly are amazing.  They’re slightly on the milder side of Oysters but are very similar in texture.  They tend to be a bit chewy if they’re over cooked or bought frozen.  As always, it’s best to buy fresh.  I’ve had both wild and farm raised Mussels and the only difference I’ve noticed is that farm raised shell fish tend to be cleaner.  Nothing worse than biting into a gritting Oyster, Mussel or Clam for that matter.  So don’t shy away from farm raised Mussels unless you’re paranoid.  This recipe will really help bring out the natural flavors in this seafood.  It’s very easy to prepare and it can literally be done in just a matter of minutes.

If you’re interested, you really should check out my Oysters Rockefeller recipe and my Steamed Little neck Clams.  Also, be sure to check out my Tender Calamari Recipe down below and My Stuffed Clams.

Mussels Ingredients:

2 lbs Mussels
1/2 Green Onion, chopped
2 Garlic Cloves, chopped
1 tsp Fresh Parsley, chopped
1/2 stick Butter
1/4 cup Sherry Wine
1/4 cup Broth, vegetable or Chicken
1/2 Lemon, squeezed
1/4 tsp Crushed Red Pepper/Chili flakes

Be sure to watch the Mussels Video tutorial to learn exactly how to prepare these ingredients.