It strikes me as strange that after a year and a half of daily blogs on this site nobody has yet posted a recipe for one of the great food and wine staples – Mussels in White Wine Sauce! Well, let me remedy that immediately….

            The beauty of this dish is that it’s a) SO simple, and b) SO delicious, and c) pairs with just about any dry or dry-ish white or rosé wine that you happen to be flirtatiously or deeply in love with. It’s perfect for anytime gatherings – indoors or out - and never fails to impress. And it’s easy on the budget, too. To top it all, mussels are protein rich and full of vitamin B12 and iron.

            Ingredients:

• 1 oz butter


• 1 cup onion (or shallots), chopped fine


• 3 cloves of garlic, crushed


• 2 cups white wine


• 4 lbs fresh or fresh frozen mussels, scrubbed with beards removed


• freshly ground black pepper


• kosher salt (optional)


• 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley

1. Melt the butter in a large saucepan over a medium heat, add onions or shallots and garlic and cook for 5 minutes, stirring until the onions or shallots are golden. Add wine, and bring to the boil. Then reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes.


2. Add mussels and cook for 5 minutes. Discard any mussels that have not opened by this time. Remove mussels from liquid with a slotted spoon and place in serving dish. Season the sauce to taste with black pepper and kosher salt, pour over the mussels, and sprinkle with parsley. If preferred the mussels can also be served over linguine or other pasta. To eat, scoop the mussels out of the shell with a spoon or fork or by using a shell as a utensil or – just use your fingers. Don’t forget some crusty bread to soak up all that good liquid.

Easy, no? I enjoyed this dish earlier this year in New Zealand, where it was prepared for us by our hosts at Villa Maria Estates. They added two extra ingredients which made a huge difference and which I would heartily recommend. First they added one finely chopped chili pepper in with the onions and garlic, and second they sprinkled lots of fresh cilantro over everything upon serving. Absolutely delicious!

(I also have memories of enjoying mussels like this one Sunday afternoon in Rheims in the Champagne area. Three colleagues and I stopped in a large, packed restaurant that seated hundreds of people. The menu was full of choices but virtually everybody as far as the eye could see was enjoying the house specialty – mussels in white wine sauce served in buckets. I’d never seen so many mussels in one place.)

So what wine should be used in preparing the liquid? As I said – any dry white wine you happen to like. It doesn’t have to be expensive, but of course it should be something you would be willing to drink. I usually have two bottles of the chosen wine handy – which leaves a little over a bottle and a half to drink. There are many wines you could choose from but a few fine recommendations would be ---

Cross Springs Sauvignon Blanc (Lake County, California) $12.99 RRP

Ma Fleur Chardonnay (Vin de Pays D’Oc, France) $10.99 RRP

Ch Roustan Rosé (Costières de Nimes, France) $9.99 RRP

Zellina Pinot Grigio (Friuli Latisana, Italy) $8.99 RRP

Young Meg Sauvignon Blanc (Marlborough, New Zealand) $12.99 RRP

Graham Beck Chenin Blanc/Sauvignon Blanc (Coastal Region, South Africa) $10.99 RRP

Bon Appétit!

Bill Stobbs, ABC Wine Supervisor