Inexpensive, elegant, and easy, these mussels are the ultimate one-pot meal.
Ingredients
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 small leek, white and light green parts only, thinly sliced
1 small shallot, thinly sliced
4 medium cloves garlic, thinly sliced
2 bay leaves
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 cup hard dry cider or white wine
2 pounds mussels (see notes)
2 to 3 tablespoons homemade mayonnaise (see notes), crème fraîche, or heavy cream (optional)
3 tablespoons minced fresh parsley leaves
1 tablespoon juice and 1 teaspoon grated zest from 1 lemon
Additional homemade mayonnaise for serving (optional, see notes)
1 loaf rustic sourdough bread, thickly sliced, drizzled with olive oil, and broiled until heavily toasted
Step by step
In a medium Dutch oven or large saucepan, melt 1 tablespoon butter over medium-low heat. Add leeks, shallot, garlic, and bay leaves. Season lightly with salt and heavily with black pepper and cook, stirring, until vegetables are very soft but not browned, about 10 minutes.
Increase heat to high and add cider or wine. Bring to a boil and let reduce by half, about 2 minutes. Add mussels, stir, cover, and cook, shaking pan constantly and peeking every 30 seconds to stir. As soon as all the mussels are open, transfer mussels to a bowl using tongs. Place pan lid over bowl to keep mussels warm.
Remove from heat and whisk in remaining butter along with mayonnaise or crème fraîche (if using). Return mussels to pot, add parsley, lemon juice, and lemon zest, stir to combine, then transfer to a warm serving bowl. Serve immediately with additional mayonnaise (if using) and broiled bread.
