An excellent dish to kick off any meal, Mussels in White Wine is a light appetizer packed with flavor. You will surely be asking for seconds!
Known as ‘cozze al vino bianco’ in Italian, mussels in white wine are steamed mussels cooked in olive oil, garlic, parsley, and white wine.
What goes with mussels in white wine sauce?
Crusty bread and a glass of chilled white wine — you can even have the same wine you used to cook the mussels.
Oh! And no, you do NOT need salt to prepare this steamed mussels recipe. The salt from the seafood is more than enough to season the dish.
Remember that you are only complementing the flavor of the mussels, not overpowering it.
Oh! And the fresher the mussels are, the sweeter the white wine sauce will be. So, get them as fresh as you can! 🙂
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Ingredients
- Olive oil – I strongly suggest extra virgin olive oil for making this seafood appetizer.
- Garlic – I typically use three cloves and I sliced them thinly.
- Mussels – cleaned, rinsed, and drained.
- White wine – any dry white wine you wouldn’t mind drinking.
- Parsley – roughly chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley and set aside some extra for serving.
Preparation
Start by placing a large pan or skillet over medium heat.
Pour olive oil, then add the sliced garlic.
As soon as the garlic becomes fragrant, add the cleaned mussels.
Adjust the heat to medium-high.
Pour the wine.
Mix and let cook for a minute — do not cover yet.
Add the fresh parsley.
Mix, then cover the pan with a lid and continue cooking until the mussels open completely.
Turn the heat off, uncover, and mix the steamed mussels in garlic and white wine sauce.
Transfer into bowls, and garnish with more parsley, if desired — serve.
Helpful tips
- When cleaning the mussels, remember to remove those with broken shells as well.
- While you can also use a deep pot (or Dutch oven) to steam mussels, I find that a large pan with a wide opening is the best type to use.
- Do not add salt. The mussels (when they open) will provide the salt to season the white wine and garlic sauce.
Recipe variation
- Butter. Melted butter is sometimes used instead of olive oil to saute the garlic. I’ve always been partial to olive oil for making this dish, but feel free to try it.
- Chili flakes. If you want a hint of heat, sprinkle some chili flakes with the parsley, but be mindful not to overpower the seafood.
So how about it? Try this steamed mussels recipe this week and let me know! 🙂
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📖 Recipe
Mussels in White Wine Recipe
Equipment
- Large Pan/Skillet with Lid (3.5 qt)
Ingredients
- 1 kilo mussels (about 2 pounds), cleaned
- 2 to 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 to 3 cloves garlic, thinly chopped
- 1/2 to 1/3 cup white wine
- handful of parsley, roughly chopped
Instructions
- Place a large pan or skillet over medium heat.
- Pour olive oil, then add the sliced garlic — cook until it becomes fragrant.
- Add the mussels and adjust the heat to medium-high.
- Pour the wine and leave uncovered for about a minute.
- Add the fresh parsley and mix.
- Cover with a lid and continue cooking until the mussels are completely opened.
- Turn the heat off, uncover, and mix.
- Transfer mussels in garlic and white wine sauce into bowls, and garnish with more parsley, if desired.
- Serve and enjoy!
Notes
- Cook’s Tip #1: When cleaning the mussels, make sure you get rid of those with broken shells as well.
- Cook’s Tip #2: Do not add salt. Once the mussels open, they will provide the salt to season the white wine and garlic sauce.
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