Steamed Mussels in a White Wine broth

A few weeks back Adam and I were elated to find an email from Kristy at Refrigerator Soup asking if we were interested in participating in their 20 Questions feature that gives each blogger they’re own featured page for a week.  After a moment of surprise, we replied with a big YES, of course we would love to be a part of Refrigerator Soup’s 20 Questions feature.  The questions are great ranging from why we started our food blog to what our favorite kitchen gadget was, we had a blast answering them and just cannot wait to see our answers up on the site.  We will be featured this week (October 19 – October 23), so definitely make sure you go check us and Refrigerator Soup out.

A favorite question asked if we had a signature dish, which did not require much time to answer: Steamed Mussels in a White Wine Broth.  We love this dish so much that we actually made up “Mussels Sunday” as an excuse to have them often (I know, we thought it was weird too).  Anyway, this is one of those dishes that just makes us happy.  We start with sliced shallots, which are in between an onion and garlic giving a slightly sweet and more delicate flavor, then we add garlic, white wine, mussels, a splash of cream and parsley.  Get a piece of crusty french bread for dipping and sit down with a big bowl of mussels and a glass of wine…..fabulous. We also built up the courage to make our first recipe video while making this recipe, Video: Datenight Mussels.

If you have never had mussels before at home, there are a few things to remember:

1. Buy mussels from a trusted seafood counter.  We only buy our mussels from Whole Foods or Balduccis, we have tried other stores, but just don’t find the quality to be as high.  The nice thing about mussels is the price, even at a gourmet store you will only be paying about $5 to $6 a pound.
   
2. Once you get home from the store, make sure the mussels are unwrapped and stored in a cool area (remember mussels are alive before you cook them, if you do not store them correctly, they could die before you get the chance to make the recipe)
   
3. Look through the mussels, if you find any cracked, chipped or open mussels, discard them.
   
4. About 20 minutes before cooking, place the mussels in a bowl full of fresh water, as the mussels breathe they will expel any sand or grit that is stored inside the shells.
5. Most mussels will have what is known as “the beard,” this is just fibers that emerge from the shell of the mussel.  To remove the beard, hold the mussel in one hand with a dry towel and pull the beard with your other hand towards the hinge end of the mussel, sometimes it can be a bit tricky to remove, but will come out.
6. Take the mussels out of the first bowl of water and place them into another bowl full of clean cold water.  Use a firm brush to remove additional sand and any barnacles then rinse them under cold water, dry then set aside ready to steam.
7. After steaming, if any mussels have not opened, discard them.

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