Belgian · Main · Medium
Moules Frites
Belgium's national dish: a steaming pot of mussels in white wine, garlic, and cream, with a mountain of twice-cooked fries.
The whole recipe in 60 seconds
Moules Frites, in 5 ideas
- Twice-cooked fries are the whole point; the first fry cooks, the second crisps
- Discard any mussels that stay closed after cooking
- Use the mussel pot lid as a plate for the empty shells, the Belgian way
- Mayonnaise, not ketchup, is the correct fry dip
- Crusty bread for the broth is mandatory
What you need
Ingredients
- 4 lbs mussels, scrubbed and debearded
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2 shallots, minced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 cup dry white wine
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
- 4 large russet potatoes, cut into fries
- Peanut oil for frying
- Salt and mayonnaise for serving
How to make it
Directions
- For the fries: fry the potatoes at 325 F for 5 minutes until soft but pale. Drain and rest.
- Discard any mussels that are open and do not close when tapped.
- Melt the butter in a large pot, soften the shallots and garlic for 3 minutes.
- Add the wine and bring to a boil. Add the mussels, cover, and steam 5 to 7 minutes, shaking the pot, until they open.
- Stir in the cream and parsley.
- Fry the potatoes again at 375 F until deep golden and crisp. Salt immediately and serve with the mussels and mayonnaise.
Money saver. Buy mussels the day you cook them; they are cheap but perishable, so plan the meal around the purchase.