Mussels with Wine and Herbs

February 4, 2003

When I was a little nipper - about 5 or 6 - friends of my parents had one of those cars where the rear boot opened to reveal further seating. Don't ask me what kind of car it was - black most probably.

Many years later I still have this vivid memory of sitting in the in back of this car one summer's night, riding home round Wellington's bays, the breeze in my hair. It was a double adventure - being in such a wonderfully exciting car and being out at night. The stars were twinkling and there was this absolutely wonderful fresh sea smell in the night air. I can't recall where we had been. The car journey made far more impact.

Living in a harbour city, every now and then I get a whiff of the sea and I am instantly transported back to that magical ride. Fresh mussels have that same smell and it always reminds me how amazingly a smell can stir the brain's memory banks. Every Christmas for years I gave one of my grandmothers a bottle of lavender water, and crushing a lavender flower always reminds me of that. The flavour of fresh mint triggers memories of chewing mint leaves from a plant that thrived by the garden tap at my Poppa's place. That in turn reminds me of the baby carrots he'd pull from the garden, wash off the sandy soil under the tap and give me to sample.

Anyway The Spouse and I went joyriding round Wellington at the weekend searching for inspiration on colours to repaint our house. We saw very few likely prospects to imitate - most of the houses are bland white or cream with only a touch of contrast. I expect we'll end up with something similar and then kick ourselves for being so conservative.

On the way home we called into the local supermarket and I caught that whiff of the sea. The mussel tank had a grand supply of fresh greenshell mussels - http://www.greenshell.com - that I could not resist. They sell for NZ$3.95 a kilo and my bag of 30 weighed in at just under 2kg.

Mussels sold like this are live. They need a small amount of work before they are ready for the pot. Some of them may be open. They should close if you give them a couple of sharp taps. If they don't, discard them. Tip the mussels into a sink of water. Throw out any that float to the top. Remove the beards - the hairy bits which you can see in the top photo. Also take off any barnacles and give the shells a scrub. You want them clean as you will be steaming them and consuming the liquid.

There are many mussel recipes, but I think the simplest treatment is the best. Today's recipe falls into that category. Add some hot crusty bread - we had ciabatta - and your tastebuds will be rattling in anticipation.

Mussels With Wine and Herbs

50g butter
2 large onions, chopped
4 cloves garlic, crushed
1/2 cup chopped fresh herbs - parsley, dill, marjoram, thyme, sage
2 bay leaves
150ml dry white wine
2kg mussels
salt, freshly ground pepper

Place a large serving dish in a hot oven before you start cooking.

Chop the onions and herbs and crush the garlic (1).

Melt the butter in a large saucepan that will accommodate all the mussels - I use my pasta pot. Add the garlic, onions and herbs (2) and saute until the onions are tender. Add the wine and when it starts to simmer, tip in the cleaned mussels. Cover and allow to steam. As the mussels open, transfer them to the heated dish in the oven. Continue cooking until all the mussels are ready (3). If any fail to open during cooking, discard them. (I had only one recalcitrant mussel in my whole batch - one that floated).

Serve the mussels into individual bowls and pour over the juices. You can reduce the liquid before serving if desired. Sprinkle over a little Maldon salt and a grind of fresh pepper.