Julia Child's French Mussels Steamed Open in Wine and Flavorings

I am the biggest fan of seafood. Whenever it comes to dinner selection, I always tend to choose seafood over red meat. So it was really hard to pass on when I saw theses fresh mussels in the grocery store. Come on what else can beat a nice glass of white wine with steamed mussels on a warm spring day! This time instead of doing it my usual Italian way I opted for the French style adapted from Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking.

Moules à la Marinière

Fresh Mussel Steamed Open in Wine and Flavorings

2 cups of light, dry white wine

1/2 cup minced shallots/ green onions/ very finely minced onions

8 parsley springs

1/2 bay leaf

1/4 tsp thyme

1/8 tsp pepper

6 Tb butter

6 quarts scrubbed, soaked mussels (I used around 2-3kilos.)

• Bring the wine to boil in a pot with all the ingredients but the last two ingredients for 2 - 3 minutes

• Add the mussels to the pot. Cover tightly and boil quickly over high heat. Frequently grasp the kettle with both hands, your thumbs clamped to the cover, and toss the mussels in the kettle with an up and down slightly jerky motion so the mussels will change levels and cook evenly. In about 5 minutes the shells will swing open and the mussels are done.

• with a big skimmer, dip the mussels into wide soup plates. Allow the cooking liquid to settle for a moment so any sand will sink to the bottom. Then ladle the liquid over the mussels. sprinkle with parsley and serve immediately.

Something important:

The most crucial step of preparing the mussels is SOAK the mussels for at least 2 hours! This way you can get rid of the sand and dirt that's been hiding inside the shells.