Drunken Mussels Recipe
We made these drunken mussels a few weeks ago and they were heavenly! Mussels are super easy to prepare and along with a loaf of crusty bread, our appetizer was served!
If you also love seafood, you have to make this Lemon and Herb Shrimp and Maryland Crab Dip. They are both heavenly and so easy to make!
When buying any seafood, it’s important to get it from a store that offers it as fresh as possible. We had an order of mussels and clams shipped from Penn Cove Shellfish in Washington state and they were so wonderful!
Penn Cove Shellfish comes right out of the waters of Penn Cove, and I’m told the best way to really taste them is at The Captain Whidbey Inn right on Whidbey Island. I’m hoping I’ll be able to confirm that later this year!
I’ve wanted to visit the area for ages, ever since my husband’s brother moved there. They’ve told us how gorgeous it is, with beautiful water views and even whale watching from their home.
For now, this recipe for Penn Cove Mussels steamed in garlic butter and white wine from Chef Sam at The Captain Whidbey Inn and this cioppino with clam and mussels will have to do!
Drunken Mussels Recipe
Again, you’ll want to start with the best seafood possible. Penn Cove only harvests AFTER your order is placed, so you know the flavor is going to be amazing!
For this recipe, we will be using 2 pounds of Penn Cove fresh Mussels, dry white wine, shallots, garlic cloves, unsalted butter, salt, black pepper, and fresh parsley.
You’ve read this here before, but I have to say it again, don’t use lousy wine when you’re cooking! I get that you might want to save the best wine for drinking, but the food will be so much better if you use a good quality wine.
I remember thinking I must be crazy when I used an entire bottle of Barolo wine in a braised beef roast recipe, but it was so delicious, I will never make it any other way.
How to Make Drunken Mussels
Rinse mussels thoroughly under cold water. Using your fingers or paring knife, remove the beards (strings that hang from the mussel shells) and discard.
In a medium/large stockpot melt butter over medium heat.
Add minced garlic and chopped shallots, cook until shallots are translucent and soft, about 3 minutes.
Toss in half of the chopped herb mixture (I just used parsley.)
Gently add the Penn Cove Mussels, white wine, and salt. Stir.
Cover stockpot and steam over medium-high heat for 5-7 minutes or until mussels begin to open.
Once the mussel shells have opened, turn off the heat. The aroma of these Drunken Mussels made our mouths water.
Gently stir the mussels from bottom to top so the broth and herbs can uniformly spread into all of the mussels. Discard any unopened mussels.
Transfer your Penn Cove Mussels and broth into a large serving bowl and garnish with the remaining herb mixture. Serve with toasted or grilled bread. A squeeze of lemon juice will brighten the flavor, too.
This was a wonderful appetizer, but you could double the batch and have it as a main meal. We have a local restaurant that serves something similar with white beans in the broth and it has the most delicious flavor. I might try that the next time.
The next night I made a seafood pasta dish with the rest of the Penn Cove clams and mussels with a loaf of crusty bread and it was perfection.
By the way, if your family loves bread like we do, you have to check out Wildgrain. My family loves soup, stews, and any dish where dunking bread is involved! Wildgrain is a small company focused on clean high-quality carbs, and their bread, pasta, and pastries are out of this world!
Each subscription box includes a variety of 3 amazing sourdough breads, 2 packages of fresh, hand-cut pasta, and 4-6 artisanal pastries like croissants, blueberry biscuits, or desserts.
All items are to be baked from frozen so they are bakery-fresh! There is nothing like a good loaf of bread to round out a meal, and I love having a loaf in the freezer when I need it!
I’m partnering with Wildgrain and they’ve given me a discount for you! Simply order here and use KASTILWELL as the referral code to get $10 off the first box + FREE Sourdough Rolls in every box for the life of your subscription! I can’t wait for you to experience Wildgrain!
Let me know if you make this Drunken Mussels dish, and yes, serve it with bread for dunking!
A little red pepper flakes would go really well with these mussels if you like a spicier dish.
You should serve one to one and a half pounds of mussels per person. This recipe is two pounds and I shared with my husband.
A dry white wine is best for cooking mussels, like a chardonnay. You may think if you’re using wine for cooking versus drinking, it’s okay to choose a cheap wine. Bad wine will not create a great meal! Use a good quality wine when cooking, too.
Drunken Mussels
Ingredients
- 2 lbs Penn Cove Mussels
- 1 C white wine dry
- 2 shallots large, finely chopped
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 4 T unsalted butter
- 1/3 C fresh herbs mixed such as flat leaf parsely, chives, or basil, chopped. Any combination or one of the herbs is fine. I only used flat leaf parsley.
- 1/2 t salt
- 1/4 t black pepper
Instructions
- Rinse mussels thoroughly under cold water. Using your fingers or paring knife, remove the beards (strings that hang from the mussel shells) and discard.
- In a medium/large stockpot, melt butter over medium heat.
- Add minced garlic and chopped shallots, cook until shallots are translucent and soft. About 3 minutes.
- Add the Penn Cove Mussels, white wine, salt, black pepper, and half of your chopped herb mixture, and stir gently.
- Cover stockpot and steam over medium high heat for 5-7 minutes or until mussels begin to open.
- Once the mussel shells have opened, turn off the heat. Gently stir the mussels from bottom to top so the broth and herbs can uniformly spread into all of the mussels.
- Discard any unopened mussels.
- Transfer your Penn Cove Mussels and broth into a large serving bowl.
- Garnish with remaining herb mixture.
- Best served with toasted or grilled bread of your choice.
