Brancaster Mussels

In East Anglia, the mussel season is in full swing and last night I made Toot and I a bowl of Moules Mariniere. The best mussels of course are caught at Brancaster Staithe in Norfolk.  My Granny always said "Only eat mussels when there's an 'R' in the month".  Having eaten mussels in Spain and in August and having survived to tell the tale, I believe this advice to be a bit suspect.

In September each year, the new season Brancaster Mussels appear on our fishmonger's slab and they are quite delicious when cooked in wine.

Recipe for Moules Mariniere  

For a main meal for two people you will need about 1.5 kg or 3 lbs of live mussels in their shells, two shallots or one small white onion, 5 sprigs of traditional parsley (not flat leaf), 4 tablespoons of double cream, 1 ounce or 25 grams of butter, half a bottle -35 centilitres - of white wine (German Hock works well) and black pepper to taste.  You can add a little fresh celery or garlic but Toot and I prefer it without.  You can substitute good quality cider for the wine if you so prefer.

Clean all the mud and remove attached weed from the mussels. This is best accomplished under running water with the mussels in a sieve.   Discard any mussels that have broken shells or are open.  In this way you will avoid any potential for food poisoning.

Slice white onions or shallots very finely on a board.
Chop fresh parsley finely on the same board and add to the sliced onions

Place the mussels in a pan, add the onion, parsley and black pepper. If adding garlic or celery it should be done at this stage.

Add the wine to the pan, the wine does not have to cover the mussels as they will cook in the steam.  For this to work,the pan does need a lid and this should be kept on throughout the cooking process.

Place the pan on the hob and cook over a high heat.  Shake the pan from time to time to ensure they all cook through evenly. They are cooked when all the shells are open.  Do not over cook as this will cause the mussel flesh to shrink and become tough.  Sometimes the odd mussel refuses to open during cooking, do not overcook the rest awaiting the odd one or two to open. Not opening does not mean there is anything wrong with it.  Just lift it out with the rest and it might open anyway.

When cooked lift the mussels out of the wine and place them in two bowls.  Put the bowls in the oven on a low heat to keep warm.

To make the sauce; discard  half the cooking liquor (or better still save for use as a stock - makes a good base for a fishy spaghetti), return the remainder to a simmering boil and add the butter stirring vigorously.  When the butter has melted into the wine add the cream slowly whilst stirring taking care not to separate the sauce.  Pour the cooked sauce, onions and parsley  all over the mussels and serve straight away with crusty French bread batons.  You can drink the remaining half bottle of hock with the Moules but I prefer a drier French or Kiwi white.

Why not give Moules Mariniere a try and give your taste-buds and autumnal treat!