Moules Sauce Poulette
A throw-together, one-pot wonder that's fancy enough for company.
by Erin Henderson
Henry Ford once said, “anyone who keeps learning stays young.”
I’d like to add, “and well fed.”
A few years ago, I took a French cooking class that taught me an invaluable amount – not the least of which is this recipe for classically prepared moules sauce poulette – basically a richer, elevated version of the classic moules marinère thanks to the addition of egg yolks and cream.
My instructor for this class, the hilarious and ever-charming, Chef Jean-Jacques (JJ for short) advised us never to order mussels in restaurants, as it's easy to prepare them incorrectly, and one bad mussel can make you very, very sick. Instead, make them at home, stubbornly sticking to the below guidelines:
- Mussels must have the harvest, bagged, and best by date on the label. Seven days is the maximum time between harvest and eating before the quality becomes risky.
- Mussels live in salt water. Fresh water will kill them. Never buy mussels submerged in water and ice.
- Unknowing fishmongers will seal them in a plastic bag. This is a very bad idea as the mussels will suffocate. Keep the bag open (the mussels will stay contained in their netting) and the mussels against ice in another bag.
- Keep mussels in the fridge until ready to prepare and don’t clean them more than an hour before cooking.
- To clean them, add a handful of sea salt to a large bowl of cold water, stirring until dissolved. Add the mussels and stir. After a few minutes most will fall to the bottom as they “drink” in the water, but don’t be alarmed if some remain floating as long as the shells close and are not broken.
- Pinch open shells. If they don’t close, they are dead. Throw them away.
- Mussels are sold year-round but are best from April-November. In winter the shells are nearly empty of meat, and bland and rubbery.
Moules Marinières
Add this fantastic recipe to your dinner party arsenal for when you need to get fancy, but don't have the time, energy, or budget, to go full-blown bougie.
Makes: 2 pounds, roughly enough for 2-4 depending on if this is a snack or a main course
Chef level: moderate
Ingredients:
- 2 lbs mussels
- 4 Tbsp butter, divided
- 1 large shallot, diced
- 1 cup chicken, fish, or vegetable stock
- ½ cup dry white wine (such as Muscadet)
- Pepper, to taste (classically the French use white, but I prefer black)
- Handful chopped parsley (I also like to use chives)
- 2 Tbsp flour
- ¼ cup crème fraiche (or heavy cream)
- 1 lemon, juiced
- 1 egg yolk
- Salt, to taste
How to Make It:
- Clean the mussels by soaking for a few minutes in salted water and pulling off the beards. Pinch any that don’t close and if they remain open, throw them away.
- In a wide, deep pot melt 2 Tbsp of butter over medium heat. Add the shallots cooking until soft and fragrant, but not coloured, about a minute.
- Add the stock, wine, and pepper to the pot. Stir and add in the cleaned mussels. Cover with a tight fitting lid and cook until the mussels are all open. About 5 minutes.
- This is where Chef JJ advises us to open a wine to sip while waiting.
- Check occasionally, removing the open ones to a clean bowl. (Don’t leave them in the pot to over-cook. Don’t worry, they won’t get cold, we add heat with the sauce later.)
- Once all the mussels are out of the liquid, add the parsley or optional chives, stir, and raise the heat slightly to reduce the wine sauce by half.
- In another pot, melt the remaining butter over medium-low heat. When melted, add in the flour, stirring constantly to form a smooth paste. Cook and stir until it smells slightly nutty. About 3 minutes.
- Pour in your crème fraiche and stir to combine (you may want to lower the heat a tad. You don’t want things boiling away.)
- Now add the lemon juice and reduced wine sauce, stir to combine.
- Add in the egg yolk and stir to thicken slightly, about a minute.
- Test for salt and pour over the mussels in the bowl and serve immediately with crusty bread and a salad.
Wine Pairing
The French traditionally sip Muscadet from the Loire or rosé from Provence with their moules, and for excellent reason. Muscadet offers a refreshing, mineral-laced salinity to compliment seafood, and its naturally bright zing refreshes the palate from the delicately rich broth. The fruity notes in rosé compliment the salty broth, especially if you've thrown in some lardon to the mix.