Moules Mariniere
Mussels in white wine & butter
Ingredients
- 2000 g Mussels
- 300 ml White wine
- 3 Shallot
- 3 cloves Garlic
- 80 g Butter
- ½ tsp Black pepper
- 4 tbsp Parsley (optional)
- 2 sprigs Thyme (optional)
- 1 Bay leaves (optional)
- 1 baguette Baguette (optional)
Method
- Before you turn on any heat, get everything ready: scrub the mussels under cold water and pull off the wiry beards. Discard any with cracked shells or that won't close when you tap them.
- Mince the shallots and garlic fine. Chop the parsley.
- Melt half the butter in the Dutch oven over medium. Sweat the shallots and garlic 3 minutes until soft (NOT brown).
- Pour in the wine. Add thyme, bay leaves, and pepper. Bring to a hard boil 1 minute to burn off raw alcohol.
- Tip in the mussels. Cover with a tight lid and shake the pot. Steam over high heat 4 minutes until shells open wide. Don't overcook.
- Lift the mussels into warm bowls with a slotted spoon (leave any closed ones behind — they're dead).
- Pull the broth off heat. Swirl in the remaining cold butter and half the parsley. Discard the bay leaves and thyme stems.
- Pour the broth over the mussels. Scatter remaining parsley. Serve with bread for mopping.
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About Moules Mariniere
Moules mariniere, or mussels 'in the style of the sailor,' is the benchmark preparation of the western French and Belgian coast, and one of the simplest ways to cook shellfish well. Shallot and garlic are gently sweated in butter, white wine goes in with thyme, bay, and pepper and is boiled hard for a minute to drive off the raw alcohol, and then the mussels steam in the covered pot until their shells gape open. The technique is almost entirely about timing: four minutes of high, covered heat is enough, and pulling the pot the moment the shells open is what keeps the meat plump rather than shrunken and rubbery. Scrubbing and de-bearding beforehand, and discarding any mussels that won't close when tapped, is the safety habit that separates a good pot from a gritty one.
The result is a fragrant broth built from the wine, aromatics, and the mussels' own salty liquor, with the butter giving it body and the parsley a fresh lift. Each mussel is sweet and briny, tender against the toothsome snap of the shell, and the liquid at the bottom of the pot is arguably the best part. A crusty baguette is not optional here; it exists to be torn and dunked once the mussels are gone. Served family-style straight from the Dutch oven for four, it's a fast, convivial dinner that feels far more indulgent than the short ingredient list and twenty-five minutes suggest.
Moules Mariniere: frequently asked questions
How many calories are in Moules Mariniere?
A serving has about 673 calories — 61.4g protein, 29g carbs, 27.6g fat, 2.1g fiber. Figures are estimated from the ingredient amounts and will shift with your portions and brands.
Is it high in protein?
Each serving has about 61.4g of protein, roughly 36% of its calories.
Is Moules Mariniere gluten-free?
As written, no — it contains Baguette. You'd need a certified gluten-free swap for that ingredient to make it gluten-free.
Is Moules Mariniere dairy-free?
Not as written — it uses Butter. Swapping it for a plant-based alternative makes it dairy-free.
Do I need every ingredient to make Moules Mariniere?
The core ingredients are essential, but you can leave out parsley, thyme, bay leaves — they're optional and mainly there for extra flavor or finish.
How many servings does Moules Mariniere make?
This recipe makes 4 servings. In the app you can scale it up or down and the ingredient amounts adjust automatically.