Easy French Mussels Provencal Recipe
For a long time I couldn't accept seafood at our table, but I changed my mind after a few attempts to cook it at home, from tested and fresh ingredients. The shells, or the mussels, were the hardest to approach because of my first experience - I bought them incorrectly, at home I realized they had a dubious smell and I threw them away. But in time I learned all the aspects, from buying to cleaning and cooking. Now we enjoy their wonderful taste periodically, with the whole family. This variant of mussels with tomato sauce, or Moules a la Provencale has been our favorite for a long time now.
In the Moules Marinier Recipe you can find many details about how to choose and clean the mussels. I will not repeat them all here. Just remember that from the moment you have the idea to cook shells, the first and most important step is to identify the right store from where to buy them. I definitely recommend a supermarket/hypermarket with a good fish department or the specialized stores for the restaurants, where delivery is constant and frequent. Make sure you smell them when you buy them - good shells have the smell of salty seawater, not the pungent smell of fish.
For this recipe, you have to prepare the tomato sauce in advance. I recommend choosing one of my recipes, the Classic Marinara Sauce, or the Marinara Sauce in my version. I make it during the tomato season, store in jars and I have it all year round. You can buy a good tomato sauce for pasta and pizza from the store, one which was tested and you like - in any case, not the normal tomato boullion!
Start by preparing the tomato sauce first, if you haven't bought it already.
You have 2 good recipes on my website - Classic Marinara Sauce and My Marinara Sauce for pasta and pizza. I make the sauce during the season, store in jars and keep it at hand all year round.
Keep this in mind: properly cooked and flavored tomato sauce is the key to this recipe - this way you'll get maximum taste!
While the tomato sauce is cooking, you have enough time to clean the shells. All the detailed instructions can be found here, in the Moules Mariniere recipe - steps 1-7.
When the tomato sauce is ready and the shells are clean, we actually start the recipe.
So, heat well the olive oil and the butter in a deep saucepan or a deep pot.
Then add in the finely chopped garlic and cook for 1 minute.
Add the shells and 100ml of semi-dry white wine, shake the pan well, or mix with a large wooden spoon.
Turn the heat to high and cover the pan with a lid. Shake the pot or stir with the spoon periodically for another 5 minutes.
After this time, the shells should all open. Discard any closed shells.
Now add the tomato sauce and carefully mix in the pan.
Simmer for another 1-2 minutes.
After this time, add the chopped parsley and turn off the heat.
Quickly cut some slices of baguette, spread some butter on and toast in a grill pan.
On the table, place the bread and a large plate of shells with sauce for each. Pour the white wine into glasses.
Serve the shells together with slices of toasted baguette soaked in sauce. At the end, you can eat it with a spoon, like a cream of tomato soup.
It's absolutely delicious, a great delight for everyone...
Enjoy!
