Moules Marinières (French Mussels in White Wine Sauce)

1. Stage

Clean and prep mussels: Put the mussels in a bowl of salted water (1 tablespoon salt per quart of water) for 10 to 15 minutes. Throw out any that are wide open or refuse to close when you handle them as these ones are likely dead. Looking over the closed mussels, see if any still have their beards (long hairy byssal threads which help anchor the mussel to surfaces) and pull them out, pulling slowly and strongly towards the hinge of the shell.

2. Stage

Steam mussels: Put 1/2 cup of dry white wine in the bottom of a large pot (at least 4-quart). Add the mussels to the pot. Cover and bring to a boil and then reduce the heat to low. As the mussels cook, they will release their highly flavored water into the pot. Cook until shells have opened, and the mussels are just cooked, looking steamed and soft, 5 to 7 minutes. Take care not to overcook, or the mussels will be rubbery and hard.

3. Stage

Remove cooked mussels, save the cooking liquid: Once the mussels are cooked, carefully remove them from the pot to a bowl, one-by-one using tongs, including those that have broken loose from their shells. Do not discard the liquid in the pot! Let the water in the pot settle for a minute. Any grit will settle to the bottom. Gently pour out the cooking water into a measuring cup, leaving the grit in the pot to discard of later. If the water you've measured out is still a little gritty, filter out the grit using a sieve.

4. Stage

Sauté the shallots and garlic in butter: Melt the butter in a medium-sized saucepan. Add the shallots and cook a couple minutes until translucent. Add the garlic and cook a minute more. If you want your sauce to be a little thick, add a teaspoon or two of flour to the pan, stir to combine. (Otherwise skip the flour.)

5. Stage

Add mussel cooking water: Slowly add about a cup of the filtered mussel cooking water to the saucepan, stirring to create a smooth sauce. Add the minced parsley to the sauce.

6. Stage

Pour sauce over mussels to serve: Place mussels in serving bowls. Pour some sauce over each bowl of mussels. Serve immediately. Serve with crusty bread for dipping in the sauce.