These quick and easy mussels are flavored with butter and white wine, and served with delicious rouille-slathered toast.

Steamed White Wine Mussels in White Bowl

For the longest time I only thought of mussels as restaurant food. In my head it was:

Chicken, beef, pork…cook those at home.

Lobster, mussels, duck, etc….order those at a restaurant.

It seems silly that I once thought of mussels as some scary preparation because they are quite possibly one of the easiest dishes you can make at home, and they usually don’t run any more than $4/lb at the grocery.

Plus, you can put in tons of garlic, chives, and crushed red pepper so you have flavor loaded bites, like this:

Mussels with White Wine and Garlic on White Dish
Start out by tossing the mussels in a little bit of butter and olive oil, garlic and crushed red pepper flakes:

Mussels in Garlic White Wine Sauce in Skillet

Shower the mussels with white wine, then cover and let them steam for 5 minutes until open. In the meantime, chop up a handful of oniony chives:

Finely Chopped Chives on Cutting Board

Then, make the piquillo rouille, which is a French sauce often served with fish and bouilliabaise, here made from a piquillo pepper blended up with saffron, olive oil, fresh bread, and garlic:

Piquillo Rouille Sauce in Blender

Serve the mussels in a bowl with some lemon wedges, and crusty bread with the rouille slathered on top.

Steamed Mussels in Bowl with Lemon Wedges and Rouille Slathered Bread

Here’s the recipe!

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White Wine Mussels in White Bowl with Lemon

White Wine Mussels with Piquillo Rouille Slathered Bread

Servings: 2
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
These quick and easy mussels are flavored with butter and white wine, and served with delicious rouille-slathered toast.
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Ingredients

  • 1 lb mussels soaked, cleaned and debearded
  • 1 tbsp butter
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 3 tbsp minced garlic
  • 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
  • 1 cup white wine (sauvignon blanc recommended)
  • 3 tbsp chopped chives

For the rouille:

  • 1/2 piece of toast
  • 2 tbsp clam juice
  • 1 jarred piquillo pepper
  • 1 clove of garlic roughly chopped
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 egg yolk
  • small pinch saffron about 5 threads
  • 1 tsp lemon juice
  • crusty bread for serving

Instructions 

  • Heat up the butter and olive oil in a large saucepan (with a lid) over medium high heat. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes, then add the mussels. Toss around in the garlic butter for 2 minutes, then add the wine. Cover the pan with a lid and cook for 5-8 minutes, until the mussels open. If any of them refuse to open, throw them out, since this means they were dead before cooking. Place the mussels in a bowl along with the broth and sprinkle on the chives.
  • To make the rouille: Place the toast and clam juice in a small bowl for a minute or two, until the toast becomes soggy. Place this in a blender along with the piquillo pepper, garlic, olive oil, egg yolk, saffron, and lemon juice. Blend until smooth and creamy. Slather onto bread or stir into the mussel broth. Enjoy!

Nutrition

Calories: 568kcal, Carbohydrates: 22g, Protein: 32g, Fat: 33g, Saturated Fat: 8g, Cholesterol: 152mg, Sodium: 793mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 3g

Nutrition is estimated using a food database and is only intended to be used as a guideline for informational purposes.

Course: Main Course
Cuisine: French
Author: Joanne Ozug