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Home » Food » Free From Recipes » Mussels in Champagne Sauce

Mussels in Champagne Sauce

Food, Free From Recipes, Main Courses, Starters

Moules-frites (mussels and French fries) is something of a national dish in Belgium. I come from the Champagne region, which is quite close to Belgium, and in my family, people tend to eat mussels all year round, as they are widely available, versatile and cheap. They are a good source of vitamins, folic acid, minerals, iron, and fatty acids that can improve immunity, brain function and reduce medical conditions like arthritis.

They are convenient to prepare at home and unlike some other types of seafood, they do not make your house smell like a fishmonger’s for days afterwards. They are also a staple dish in Brasseries, the closest thing we have to Pubs in France.

Mussels in Champagne Sauce Cooking

This traditional recipe with a twist is my mum’s, and it was a real success when we had it last week for my birthday. It smells heavenly, feels like a dish for a special occasion yet it is simple to make and ready to bring to the table in less than thirty minutes, from start to finish. I do not eat mussels, but I really enjoyed cooking them for my family with my mum. I also dipped loads of bread in the sauce and it was yummy!

Mussels in champagne sauce - Santé

Crevette even declared, in an approximate, but oh so sweet French, « Je l’aime, les moules! » (“I love them, the mussels!”). Bless him, he is more French than I am, requesting French delicacies and eating snails or mussels at every opportunity he gets.

Crevette enjoying Mussels in Champagne Sauce

With no further ado, here are my ‘Moules façon Michèle’!

4 from 2 votes
Print

Mussels in Champagne Sauce

Makes a starter for 6, or a main course for 4.
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes

Ingredients

  • 2 kg mussels
  • 10 g butter
  • 1 small onion peeled and sliced
  • 1 garlic clove crushed
  • 1 teaspoon white wine vinegar
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1 teaspoon thyme
  • 1 teaspoon parsley
  • 1 pinch salt 1 pinch pepper
  • 100 ml water
  • 200 ml champagne
  • 200 ml crème fraîche

Instructions

  1. Rinse the mussels in plenty of cold water.
  2. In a large pan over a high heat, melt the butter then add the onion and fry for a minute, stirring.
  3. Add in the garlic, vinegar, herbs, salt, pepper and water. Bring to the boil and reduce to a gentle simmer.
  4. Add the champagne then the mussels. Stir and cover for 10 minutes.
  5. Mix well, put the lid back on and cook for a further 5 minutes.
  6. Check the mussels have opened.
  7. Add in the cream, mix and bring the pan to the table, and let your guests help themselves with a large ladle.
  8. Enjoy with champagne as a starter. If you are having the mussels as a main course, simply serve with chips.

When Seafish asked me to take part in a challenge for foodie bloggers to promote eating fish through their Fish of the Dish platform, I agreed immediately as I thought it would make me more creative in my recipes. Although I love fish, we do not eat it more than a couple of times a month at home, and I always go for the recipes I know by heart and trust. I am glad to share this recipe my mum passed on to me.

Santé!

Mussels in champagne sauce

Seafish challenged me to write recipes that would encourage people to eat more fish. I did not receive payment for this post. All opinions and photographs are my own.

Tasty Tuesdays on HonestMum.com

25/01/2015 · 26 Comments

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Comments

  1. Eva says

    26/01/2015 at 2:34 pm

    Mes enfants aussi adorent ça ! Nous on mange beaucoup des moules & frites au Bassin d’Arcachon !

    Reply
    • Mel says

      26/01/2015 at 10:20 pm

      J’imagine!

      Reply
  2. Mummy Tries says

    27/01/2015 at 5:47 am

    Drooling here Mel and it’s not even 6am! Moules Frittes is one of my all time fave fave fave dishes, and yours look absolutely delicious. My eldest loves them too 🙂 #yumyum

    Reply
    • Mel says

      27/01/2015 at 2:00 pm

      Mussels for breakfast, anyone?

      Reply
  3. Spidermummy says

    27/01/2015 at 8:48 pm

    Oh Mel they look absolutely stunning, we all lurrrrrrve Moules in this house and next time I am totally trying that recipe! x

    Reply
    • Mel says

      01/02/2015 at 3:54 pm

      Yay! Let me know what you think after you have had a chance to try the recipe!

      Reply
  4. Laura Powell-Corbett says

    28/01/2015 at 8:24 am

    Mussels is one tbing I wish I love, the suave I do love though. Not sure it would taste the same without the mussels

    Reply
    • Mel says

      28/01/2015 at 9:22 am

      I always dip my bread in the sauce, without eating the mussels, and it is yummy!

      Reply
  5. Honest Mum says

    30/01/2015 at 10:24 pm

    Absolutely my kind of food darling, adore mussels and of course champagne. Stunning photos especially of your little sweetie feasting. Thanks for linking up to #tastytuesdays x

    Reply
    • Mel says

      31/01/2015 at 12:21 am

      I knew you would like that!

      Reply
  6. Marianne says

    02/02/2015 at 10:14 pm

    I always look forward to returning to France so I can enjoy moules frites, next time I’ll order some champagne too x

    Reply
    • Mel says

      02/02/2015 at 10:33 pm

      It just works so well… it would be a shame not to put the two together!

      Reply
  7. wheelie38 says

    03/02/2015 at 3:21 am

    I’ve only ever cooked with Mussels a few times but this recipe is great, especially with the addition of bubbles lol. Happy #TastyTuesday

    Reply
    • Mel says

      04/02/2015 at 9:40 am

      The champagne really adds a little ‘je ne sais quoi’!

      Reply
  8. nagimaehashi says

    08/02/2015 at 9:37 am

    I LOVE MUSSELS! I am always too scared to make it when I’m entertaining because there seems to be so many people that don’t like it which KILLS me because it is one of the fastest, cheapest and EASIEST seafoods to make! I adore this recipe, it is very classic flavours and I make a similar variation of it 🙂 With wine, not champers!

    Reply
    • Mel says

      09/02/2015 at 11:21 pm

      It certainly is quick and cheap to make, if you replace champagne with cheap white wine!

      Reply
  9. sylvieameseesylvie says

    22/03/2015 at 6:39 am

    What a nice boy you have! I will serve these mussels with bread or fries to sop up all the sauce…

    Reply
    • Mel says

      22/03/2015 at 1:07 pm

      Bread is a must for the sauce! You wouldn’t want it to go to waste, would you?

      Reply
  10. Steve P says

    27/05/2018 at 7:31 am

    4 stars
    I’ve cooked with Champagne a few times before with only moderately good results…this dish, on the other hand, is DELICIOUS. It’s so gentle and really allows the sweetness of the mussels to shine. Greatly appreciate you sharing your mum’s dish with us…can’t wait to pass this one onto my future children!

    Reply
  11. Steve says

    27/05/2018 at 7:31 am

    4 stars
    I’ve cooked with Champagne a few times before with only moderately good results…this dish, on the other hand, is DELICIOUS. It’s so gentle and really allows the sweetness of the mussels to shine. Greatly appreciate you sharing your mum’s dish with us…can’t wait to pass this one onto my future children! Cheers!

    Reply
    • Mel says

      27/05/2018 at 10:14 am

      Thank you so much for sharing this with me Steve, you’ve got me smiling from ear to ear! I don’t normally cook with champagne either (champagne is for drinking, right?), but if we ever end up with a bottle that has lost its fizz, then it’s the only recipe we make back at my mum’s. I’ll let her know right now that you’ve tried and loved her recipe!!!

      Reply
  12. Natalie says

    15/02/2020 at 9:04 pm

    Omg sososo yummy. Thanks so much for the recipe 😍

    Reply
    • Mel says

      05/03/2020 at 1:22 pm

      My pleasure! It’s my mum’s quick & easy recipe 🙂

      Reply
  13. Aditya Saurabh says

    22/09/2021 at 10:58 pm

    Do you eat the gravy of this dish too?

    Reply
    • Mel says

      23/09/2021 at 5:55 pm

      Oh that’s a great question! It’s a bit like Marmite: you love it or you hate it! My mum loves dipping bread in it, but I don’t eat it.

      Reply

Trackbacks

  1. Quick & Easy Homemade Mayonnaise Recipe says:
    03/02/2015 at 10:59 pm

    […] often bought at the local boulangerie (bakery) rather than being homemade. As for seafood, like mussels, oysters or king prawn, it comes ready to eat or does not need more than ten minutes to […]

    Reply

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