Mussels are our favorite bougie on a budget appetizer or date night in! They are surprisingly affordable and easy to make, and most importantly – they’re one of the most sustainable sources of protein. Once you get the cleaning and cooking method down, you’ll be so excited to start trying every mussel broth you can find.
This French preparation of mussels was recommended to me on an Instagram post of my Lemon Dijon Mussels, and I am so glad they did! I read through every recipe I could find and put together something based on the most consistent ingredients: pancetta, tomatoes, garlic, and wine!
Prepping your Mussels:
- Immediately when you bring them home, prepare a bowl of salt water for them to soak in. Sometimes they look alive/open, but it’s just because they are trying to breathe. Allowing them to rest in salt water will give you a better gauge for whether they are still alive or not.
- Remove all “beards,” wipe down with a paper towel, and rinse quickly but thoroughly under COLD water. I get water out of my fridge because the tap is not cold enough. You don’t want them to have too much fresh water exposure
- Discard of any mussels that are not completely closed shut. Even if they are barely cracked open, if they spring back open when you try to close, they are already dead and should not be eaten. It is sad, but at least they’re cheap!
Mussels Provencal
A French mussels dish in a decadent tomato broth with crispy pancetta
Ingredients
- 2 lb mussels
- 4 oz Pancetta
- 5 cloves garlic
- 1 medium shallot
- 2 tbsp Tomato paste
- 1 cup grape or cherry tomatoes quartered
- 2 cups dry white wine I am using French Chablis from Trader Joes
- Juice of half a lemon
- 3 T butter
- 2 T fresh parsley
- Salt
Instructions
- Clean mussels well!
- In a pan over low heat, cook pancetta to render out the fat. Once crispy, remove pancetta from pan.
- In rendered pancetta fat, saute garlic and shallots until fragrant, then add tomato paste and cook until the color turns a deep red.
- Turn heat up to medium and add mussels, wine, mix well, and cover.
- Once mussels open, remove. I like to do it one at a time to prevent overcooking but you can also wait until they are all open and remove together. Toss any mussels that do not open.
- Add butter, fresh tomatoes, and salt to sauce. Whisk until well combined, then add lemon juice and taste for salt.
- Turn off the heat and add parsley and cooked pancetta. Pour broth over mussels and serve with fries, bread, pasta, or whatever you’d like!
Notes
If you want to make this a pescatarian dish, you can omit the pancetta and sub for 2 tbsp olive oil.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!