If Moules Marinières originated in Catalonia is debatable – many consider it’s origins were the west coast of France.
There are nearly as many variations in Catalan Moules Marinières as there are Catalan restaurants who jealously guard their own recipes. The following recipe is typical and a favourite but some ingredients can be changed. Try changing half the wine with fish stock, the crème fraîche with cream, or add more garlic – develop your own Catalan Moules Marinières recipe!
This recipe serves four as a main course (use ¼ of the quantity if serving as a starter).
Serves 4 people
Preparation & cooking time: 15 minutes
Ingredients:
2 kilograms of live mussels
half bottle of cheap Catalan dry white wine
1 onion
2 cloves of garlic
30g butter
10cl (c1/2 cup) of crème fraîche
1/2 finely chopped parsley
salt and pepper
As an accompaniment:
Crusty bread.
Mussels are high in protein and low in fat & cholesterol. A 100 gram portion of cooked blue mussels contains 24g of protein but only 172 calories. It is rich in iron, calcium, manganese, phosphorous, selenium, zinc and vitamins A, B12 & C.
Directions:
· Carefully wash the mussels in salty water to help the mussels to clear the sand and grit. Remove the beard . Discard any mussels that are damaged or are open (and do not close on tapping).
· Peel onions and cut into thin slices, melt the butter in a large saucepan, add the sliced onions and cook over medium/high heat for 4 minutes,
· Chop the garlic and add to the onions, cooking for a further 3 minutes.
· Add the white wine, garlic, then the mussels and parsley.
· Cook for approximately 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the mussels are generally open.
· Discard any unopened shells, which indicate that they were not alive before cooking.
· Remove the mussels into a serving dish using a spoon.
· Add the crème fraîche to the cooking sauce while stirring and immediately pour the mixture over the mussels.
The difference in colour of the meat of mussels has nothing to do with freshness or a difference in taste. The orange meat is found in the shell of a mature female mussel, whilst the paler meat mussels belong to males and young females.
Catalan Moules Marinières is traditionally served with chunks of fresh crusty bread, but in northern Europe fries are often served as an accompaniment instead.
