Steamed Mussels with a White Wine Sauce

Steamed mussels are so easy and impressive....I don't know why I haven't made them sooner. I guess I just have so many things I want to try, but when I ran across some fresh mussels at Whole Foods all cleaned and ready to go...I jumped on it!

Ingredients:

2 pounds mussels, scrubbed clean under running water

1/2 cup dry white wine
2 tablespoon  olive oil
1 tablespoon vinegar
2 shallots minced
3-4 cloves minced garlic
1 teaspoon tarragon
1/2 cup cream
2 teaspoons flour (optional, omit for gluten-free version)
1/4 cup minced parsley
red pepper flakes if you want

Method:

Rinse clean mussels under running cold water, scrub if needed. Discard any broken shells or any that will not close when tapped. If not already cleaned and debearded remove the “beard” or brown tab typically found on the side of the shell.

 In a large stock pot, or Dutch oven , in the oil, sauté the shallots, garlic over a medium high flame for 1-2 minutes. Add the wine, vinegar and red pepper flakes (if using them).  Add the mussels and cover, bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low. As the mussels cook, they will release their flavored water into the pot. Cook until the shells have opened, and the mussels are just cooked, 5 to 7 minutes. Try not to overcook, or they will be rubbery and not so good.

Once the mussels are cooked, carefully remove them from the pot to a bowl. Discard any shells that did not open. Sprinkle with the fresh parsley.

.

Mmm still steaming and oh-so-garlicky-good!

Bring the cooking liquid to a simmer and whisk some butter and the cream. Season with salt and pepper, to taste, and stir in the tarragon, add the flour if it needs to be thickened a little. Pour the mixture over the mussels and serve immediately with crusty bread.

Dig in and enjoy! Make sure you dip the bread to sop up all that wonderful goodness!