Mussels in White Wine Sauce

Mussels in White Wine Sauce

This week I decided to switch things up a bit with a few sea food recipes.  My husband isn't a big fan of mussels unless they're drenched in cream, but I prefer them a little more on the light side---although I agree a great cream sauce never hurt a mussel. My daughter isn't a fan of eating sea food just yet, but she loved playing with the mussel shells. Mussels are  great for those of us who are budget minded, they cost just a few dollars a pound, and a pound is more than enough for 2 people. A few things worth noting about mussels, as with most seafood the fresher they are, the better tasting they are. Discard any mussels that are not closed and tightly sealed, remove the hairy beards before cooking, and clean them thoroughly by scrubbing each mussel shell and then soaking them, with 1-2 tablespoons of flour added to a large bowl of water, for 10-15 minutes before cooking in order to expell any remaining sand.

Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 10 minutes
Total time: 20 minutes
Ingredients:
1 lb of Mussels
1/4 cup of shallot minced
1/2 cup of white wine Sauvignon Blanc works amazingly
2 cloves of garlic
2 tablespoons of lemon juice
1/4 cup of finely chopped parsley
1 teaspoon of bonito flakes (optional)
2 tablespoons of olive oil
Directions: Heat olive oil, add garlic and shallot to a sauce pan, and sauté until shallots are translucent, add in the bonito flakes if you're using them and mix for 10-20 seconds. Add in the wine, and bring to a simmer, add in the mussels and cover the pot, cook for 8-10 minutes then turn off the fire. Remove the cover, the mussels should be open, and cooked fully, sprinkle with lemon juice, and parsley transfer to a bowl and enjoy!