Mussels with saffron velouté

Hailing from the west of France, La Mouclade is a dish of mussels cooked mariniere style and then bathed in a saffron velouté that explodes with flavour. Best enjoyed with a dry white wine and rustic bread to mop up any lingering saffron sauce (because you won’t want to waste a drop of this delicious sauce).

INGREDIENTS

• 2 kg fresh mussels

• 150 ml (5 fl oz) dry white wine

•  50 ml (1.7 fl oz) cream (plus a tablespoon to mix with the egg yolk)

• 100 g (3.5) shallots (divided into 2 portions of 50 g)

• A quarter tsp saffron threads (or half a tsp or more good quality curry powder)

• 1 bay leaf

• 2 parsley stalks

• 2 twigs fresh thyme

• 2 garlic cloves crushed

• 1 egg yolk

• 50 g (1.7 oz) butter (divided in 2 portions of 25 g)

• 10 g (0.4 oz) flour (or 20 g if you want a really thick sauce)

• 1 tbs finely chopped parsley to decorate

• Black pepper to season

NOTES

• You can replace the saffron with curry powder. If you add more flour, don’t reduce the sauce as much.

• In my opinion:  For a better look and to gain time, skip the broiling at the end. 

• I highly recommend you enjoy this dish with a good rustic bread.

• Serving on small individual plates with 6 to 8 mussels per plate is easier and less messy than using a large dish or plate with all the mussels at once.

PROCEDURE

1. Melt one portion of the butter in a large pot on a medium–high heat.

2. Add half the shallots, the parsley stalks, garlic, thyme and bay leaf and cook on a gentle heat for 1 minute.

3. Add the wine, bring to a strong boil and add the mussels.  Use a wooden spoon to mix the wine and flavourings with the mussels for a good minute to ensure everything is well incorporated.

4. With the lid on, cook the mussels for 4 minutes, every now and again shaking the pot to keep everything mixed in.  Take care not to overcook them.

5. Transfer the mussels to a colander.

6. Strain the remaining liquid into a bowl, and then using a fine mesh sieve, strain into a measuring jug.  Retain 350 ml (11.8 fl oz) of the liquid and reserve the rest in case it is needed to adjust the consistency of the velouté sauce.

7. Stir the saffron into the liquid.

8. Discard the top shell of each mussel and lay the bottom shell containing the mussel on a plate.

9. On a medium heat, melt the remaining portion of butter in a pan and once melted stir in the remaining shallots, reducing the heat a little. Stir in the flour and cook on low heat for 2 minutes.

10. Sift the saffron infused liquid into the roux, raise the heat to medium and whisk everything together and bring to a simmer.  Once the simmer starts, cook for at least 5 minutes, stirring regularly until the liquid is reduced to a spoon coating consistency.

11. Add 2 tablespoons of cream (even more if you prefer) and continue to simmer for a further 10 minutes to further reduce the sauce.

12. Turn the heat down so that the sauce ceases to boil, mix the egg yolk with a little cream and stir it in. Continue cooking a little longer, still ensuring that the mixture does not boil.

13. With a squeeze bottle, or a ladle, pour some sauce over each mussel in its shell.

14. The mussels may now be sprinkled with parsley and enjoyed, or you can place in the oven under the top element and broil for about 3 minutes (again, don’t overcook the mussels) before serving.

"The mussels with this tasty rich of flavors sauce are incredible! The presentation is perfect! "

Jazzy Taste

"I just cooked mussels in wine yesterday, now I'll have to use this recipe over the weekend. Look great!"

John Emac