Ingredients
- kg fresh mussels in their shell
- ½ tbsp olive oil
- ½ onion (finely chopped)
- 1 fresh bay leaf
- 4 sprigs of fresh thyme
- 1 clove of garlic (finely chopped)
- 150ml medium white wine
- 50ml single cream
- 14g fresh flat-leaf parsley (chopped)
- ½ baguette, to serve
- 1 lemon, cut into wedges, to serve
Method
- Scrub the mussels in a large bowl of cold water, removing the beards and any barnacles. Discard any with broken shells or any that don’t close tight when tapped on a hard surface.
- Heat the oil in a large saucepan over a medium heat. Add the onion, bay leaf and thyme and cook for 4 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook for a further minute.
- Pour over the wine and simmer for 1 minute. Tip in the mussels then cover and steam for 3-4 minutes or until all the mussels have opened, shaking the pan every now and then. Discard any that stay shut.
- Stir in the cream and chopped parsley and serve in warm bowls with the bread and lemon wedges.
The Crockford Cookbook 