Steamed Mussels with White Wine Broth

How to cook mussels! We cook mussels in a flavorful broth made with white wine, garlic, and shallots in this easy steamed mussels recipe. It is easy, quick, and delicious.

Watch The Video

Steamed Mussels Recipe Video

Our Favorite Way to Cook Mussels

It is so easy to make steamed mussels at home. Shallots, garlic, and white wine make the perfect broth. As the mussels steam, the broth gets trapped inside the shells. It’s divine, plus the leftover broth is fantastic for soaking up with a good loaf of bread.

Steamed Mussels with shallots, garlic, parsley and a white wine broth

More of our favorite seafood recipes: We make this baked salmon with lemon and dill all the time and love this garlicky shrimp scampi!

How to Cook Mussels Perfectly, Every time

We love this steamed mussels recipe so much, and we make it often. Mussels are inexpensive, and the list of ingredients is short.

If you have never made steamed mussels before at home, here are our best tips for making them.

Buy mussels from a trusted seafood counter. The nice thing about mussels is the price. Even at a gourmet or pricy store, you will only be paying about $5 to $6 a pound.

Remember that when you buy them, mussels are alive. So the moment you get home from the store, take them off any ice, unwrap them and store them in the refrigerator covered with a damp cloth. The wet cloth prevents them from drying out. See the frequently asked questions below for more tips on storing mussels.

Look through the mussels. If you find any cracked or chipped mussels, discard them. If any are open, give them a quick tap on the counter and watch if they close again. If they do not close, discard them.

Remove the beard. Most mussels will have a beard, which is just the fibers that emerge from the mussel shell. It’s best to remove this. To remove it, hold a mussel in one hand using a dry towel. Then, pull the beard out and away from the mussel with your other hand. Sometimes it can be a bit tricky to remove, but it will eventually come out.

Clean them. Use a firm brush to remove extra sand and the odd barnacle. Rinse the cleaned mussels under cold water, and then move on to cooking them.

Double-check before serving. After steaming, if any of the steamed mussels have not opened, discard them.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long can you keep mussels in the fridge? When stored properly (see below), live mussels will last two to three days in the refrigerator (sometimes longer). However, we try to keep the time to a minimum and cook mussels within a day or two.

How do you store live mussels? Do not store live mussels in water. When you get home from the store, remove them from any ice and airtight bags — the mesh bags are okay. Store the mussels in a colander set over a large bowl. Cover the colander with damp dish towels. Check on the mussels each day (or more often, if possible. Do not let the mussels sit in water and keep the dishtowel damp so that they do not dry out.

Recipe updated, originally posted October 2009. Since posting this in 2009, we have tweaked the recipe to be more clear. – Adam and Joanne

Steamed Mussels in White Wine Broth

Steamed Mussels with White Wine Broth

  • PREP
  • COOK
  • TOTAL

Shallots, garlic, and white wine make the perfect broth for steamed mussels. Serve the mussels in a big bowl with bread on the side so you can sop up all that delicious broth. For tips on storing live mussels and cleaning them, see the article above.

Makes 2 generous servings

Watch Us Make the Recipe

You Will Need

2 pounds mussels, cleaned

1 tablespoon butter

2 small shallots, thinly sliced

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

1 cup (236 ml) low-sodium chicken stock, see our easy chicken stock recipe

1/2 cup (118 ml) dry white wine

Splash heavy cream

1/4 cup roughly chopped fresh parsley

Salt and fresh ground black pepper

Lemon wedges, for serving

1 baguette, warmed for serving

Directions

    1Melt butter in a large pot with a lid over medium heat. When the butter begins to bubble, stir in the shallot and garlic. Cook until softened, about 5 minutes.

    2Add the chicken stock, white wine, and mussels then give them a good toss. Cover the pot with its lid and cook until all the mussels have opened; 6 to 10 minutes. If any mussels do not open, discard them.

    3Remove the pot from the heat, then stir in the cream and parsley. Taste the broth, and then adjust to taste with salt, pepper, or more cream.

    4Serve in big bowls with lemon wedges and plenty of warmed bread to sop up the broth.

Adam and Joanne's Tips

  • How to Clean Mussels: Look through the mussels. If you find any cracked, chipped, or open mussels, discard them. Most mussels will have a “beard,”which is just the fibers that emerge from the mussel shell. It’s best to remove this. To remove it, hold a mussel in one hand using a dry towel. Then, pull the beard out and away from the mussel with your other hand. Sometimes it can be a bit tricky to remove, but will eventually come out. Finally, use a firm brush to remove extra sand and the odd barnacle. Rinse the cleaned mussels under cold water, and then move on to cooking them.
  • Nutrition Facts: The nutrition facts provided below are estimates. We have used the USDA database to calculate approximate values. We did not include bread in the calculations.

If you make this recipe, snap a photo and hashtag it #inspiredtaste — We love to see your creations on Instagram and Facebook! Find us: @inspiredtaste

Nutrition Per Serving Calories 510 / Protein 48 g / Carbohydrate 28 g / Dietary Fiber 2 g / Total Sugars 6 g / Total Fat 17 g / Saturated Fat 7 g / Cholesterol 133 mg
AUTHOR:  Adam and Joanne Gallagher
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67 comments… Leave a Review
  • Timothy Dorcas March 15, 2024, 8:49 am

    Very easy recipe with amazing results! Instant classic

    Reply
    • Adam March 18, 2024, 12:38 pm

      Yay! So glad you enjoyed it. We love making this one. One of our favorites!

      Reply
  • Patty October 29, 2023, 9:40 pm

    I have been making this twice a week for several months. It’s extremely easy to fix. I serve a salad and hot bread with it. My family lives this recipe!!

    Reply
  • X CD athy May 14, 2023, 5:36 pm

    I made this receipe for myself on mothers’s day. Delicious thanks

    Reply
  • Kim Rectenwald ` March 12, 2023, 3:13 pm

    This was one of the best recipes I’ve ever made for mussels! It was super easy to prepare and just absolutely delightful to eat. I did slice a whole lemon and added it to the cooking process and it added a nice right flavor to the sauce. I didn’t have any white wine on hand, but I subbed with white cooking wine, and it was perfectly fine.

    Reply
  • Josh Prestidge January 18, 2023, 10:48 am

    Hello, this recipe looks like it will be delicious! If I want more of the broth for dipping, can I double the recipe without doubling the amount of mussels? Thank you.

    Reply
    • Joanne January 18, 2023, 2:48 pm

      Absolutely.

      Reply
  • Christine Taylor-Butler January 8, 2023, 9:58 pm

    Thank you! This was super easy to do and delicious!

    Reply
  • Marlene January 5, 2023, 1:17 pm

    Simply simple and delicious. I’ve done this twice already and it’s a hit.

    Reply

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