Recipe: Lemon Garlic Butter Mussels

This lemon garlic butter Mussels recipe is one of my favorites as an appetizer, small plate, or as a quick meal when I’m running short on time on a weeknight. There is no need to go to a restaurant to enjoy restaurant-quality Mussels. Not to mention the fact that most seafood restaurants overcharge for Mussels dishes anyways. This yummy recipe is saucy and perfect with a crusty slice of bread if that’s your thing. If you are low-carb, you can simply enjoy this dish without any bread.

How to Prepare Mussels

First, you should purchase Mussels that look and smell fresh and have closed shells. Before putting the Mussels in the pot, you should press together the shells of any Mussels that are open. If the shell doesn’t close when you press it, the Mussel is dead and should be discarded. Additionally, you should throw out any Mussels that have broken shells.

Additionally, make sure you pull off any beads of the Mussels before cooking it. You can use a vegetable brush to scrub the Mussels under cold water. Mussels are best cooked on the same day that you purchased them.

Ingredients

• One stick of unsalted butter, softened
• One shallot, chopped
• 2 teaspoons of minced garlic
• 1/2 teaspoon of red chili flakes ( add more if you would like a spicy broth)
• 1 cup of dry white wine
• 1 cup of heavy whipping cream
• 1 pound of Fresh Mussels
• Salt and ground pepper to taste
• One lemon
• ½ cup of parsley chopped

Instructions

1. Melt butter in a large skillet
2. Sauté the onion, garlic, and red chili flakes for about 2 to 3 minutes
3. At the white wine and simmer until reduced by half. Once the white wine is reduced, you can add cream and simmer for about three minutes.
4. Add Mussels, cover the skillet, and simmer over low heat. The Mussels should be cut in approximately 5 to 7 minutes. Remember that if you’re using fresh Mussels and some of the shells do not open up, you should discard them because they are dead.
5. Remove from heat. Stir in lemon juice from a fresh lemon. (after lemon is juiced, you can slice in and throw it in the broth.
6. At this point, taste the broth and ensure that you like the flavor.  Add salt and pepper to your taste.  

Garnish with fresh or dried chopped Parsely

Serve with crusty bread of your choice for dipping in the broth. A crusty French-bread is a good choice.

Substitutions and Additions for Lemon Garlic Butter Mussels

Shrimp, when I really want to enjoy this recipe as a full heartier meal, I will add about ½ pound shrimp to the sauce at the same time I add the mussels.

Spices: instead of parsley, you can add Thyme, chives, or oregano (or a combination of theses). You can also garnish the Mussels with additional red pepper flakes for additional heat.

How Long Can Lemon Garlic Butter Mussels be Stored in the Refrigerator?

You can store Lemon Garlic Butter Mussels and refrigerated them in an air-tight container for up to 2 days. I do not recommend freezing this dish.  

Tools Used in this Recipe

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