Drizzle grilled mussels with a rich garlic butter sauce for a restaurant-quality seafood dish that comes together in next to no time. Mussels are one of our favorite appetizer and dinner ideas because they cook up incredibly quickly and absorb the flavors of their cooking liquid or sauce. To make this mussel recipe a meal, serve it alongside crusty bread and a big green salad.
This recipe for mussels includes white wine in the sauce. If you'd prefer not to add wine, swap in vegetable broth or even a splash of fruit juice instead. Most mussel recipes are best served right away and this one is no exception. Prep the garlic butter and bread ahead of grilling the mussels so you can transfer them to a serving bowl and dig right in.
Ingredients
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1 ½ pound fresh mussels (about 20)*
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⅓ cup butter
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1 clove garlic, minced
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2 tablespoon dry white wine
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2 tablespoon snipped fresh parsley
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Grilled or toasted sourdough bread slices (optional)
Directions
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Scrub the mussels in their shells under cold running water. If present, remove any beards. Discard any mussels with cracked or broken shells, as well as mussels that are open and not closed.
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In an 8-quart Dutch oven combine 4 quarts cold water and 1/3 cup salt; add the mussels.
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Soak the mussels for 15 minutes; drain and rinse. Discard the water. Repeat soaking, draining, and rinsing twice.
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For the sauce, in a small saucepan melt the butter over medium heat. Add the minced garlic; cook for 1 minute. Be sure not to burn the garlic or your sauce will taste bitter. Add wine; bring just to a simmer. Remove from heat; stir in fresh parsley.
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Tear off a 36x18-inch piece of heavy foil; fold the foil in half to make an 18-inch square.
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Place the mussels in the center of the foil.
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Bring up opposite edges of the foil and seal with a double fold.
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Fold the remaining edges together to completely enclose mussels, leaving space for steam to build.
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Place the foil packet on the grill rack directly over medium-high heat; grill for 8 to 10 minutes or until the shells open.
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Transfer the mussels (discard any that do not open) and any liquid to a large serving bowl.
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Transfer the sauce to small bowls for dipping. Serve the grilled mussels with sauce and, if desired, crusty bread for dipping. Makes 4 appetizer servings.
Test Kitchen Tip: You can store live mussels in the refrigerator, covered with a moist cloth, for up to 3 days. Before you cook them, tap any open shells. If the mussels are alive, the shells will close. Discard any that aren't alive. The mussels should smell fresh and briny not overly fishy. If there is a strong odor, discard the mussels.
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
| 191 | Calories |
| 16g | Fat |
| 3g | Carbs |
| 7g | Protein |
| Nutrition Facts | |
|---|---|
| Servings Per Recipe 4 | |
| Calories 191 | |
| % Daily Value * | |
| Total Fat 16g | 21% |
| Saturated Fat 10g | 50% |
| Cholesterol 56mg | 19% |
| Sodium 272mg | 12% |
| Total Carbohydrate 3g | 1% |
| Protein 7g | 14% |
| Vitamin C 6.5mg | 7% |
| Calcium 20.2mg | 2% |
| Iron 2.2mg | 12% |
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
