When I need to cook mussels, for some reason I remember the Crimea. I was vacationing there with my parents and their friends when I was very young. There was a big company and the men sometimes amused themselves by catching mussels in the sea. They took me as the oldest child and the owner of a small inflatable boat, into which these mussels were unloaded. Not in shorts to deliver them to the shore. The clams were washed in fresh water for a long time, and in the evening they were cooked on a fire. This recipe is very simple and it could also be applied in our case. It's a pity I started cooking much later).
Ingredients: Mussels, Onions, Dry white wine, Garlic, Parsley, Bay leaf, Butter, Chili flakes
Cooking method:
The onion must be cut. In case the serving is "lazy" like mine with onions, then a small cube. If you want a more presentable look, then the onion will still be removed and it doesn’t matter how it is cut. There will be no clear proportions (as, however, often with me)) will not be. All to taste, I focus on 1.5 turnips per kg of shellfish.
Onions can be immediately sent to a saucepan for vegetable (preferably olive) oil. Next is the garlic. It also tastes good, I think that 2-3 cloves per 250-300-gram serving will be enough.
It’s not worth frying too much, as soon as the onion becomes transparent, that’s enough, it’s time to add some parsley (you can even stalks, the main thing is not to forget to get them later), a little chili, if desired, and pour wine. There should not be much of it, mussels are not boiled here, but steamed. For a serving (250-300 gr), it takes me about 1/2 glass.
Next is the lemon. Its amount depends on the acidity of the wine. I add 10-15 grams of juice per serving. Next, you can lay the mussels and of course the bay leaf.
Mussels cook quickly, 5-6 minutes. Changed color and became a little elastic - ready. Do not overexpose them, otherwise rubber will turn out. Clams must be laid out in a deep, better heated dish.
At this stage, you can finish and proceed to the actual meal, but I also like to make sauce. To do this, you need butter, I don’t put a lot, ~ 20-25 gr per serving. But if you want a thicker sauce, then you need to add more. For Beurre Blanc sauce, up to 100 g of oil per 30 ml of wine is used. And then 150. But I leave out the onion, because the sauce looks relatively thick and is not as greasy.
Whisk the butter with slightly cooled wine. If everything is done correctly, you will get an emulsion, which is the sauce. It can be strained through a sieve, while removing the onions and other additives, or left as is. In any case, you need to "renew" the parsley and pour the mussels with the sauce.
Serve with lemon and a glass of wine. Side dish can be rice, pasta or french fries. It's so French...