On Wednesday, I wrote about onion soup. Today, I thought I would keep the bistro-food theme going and talk about mussels and french fries 鈥� moules frites, in French.
It鈥檚 a frequently ordered combination in bistros and eateries and its popularity is understandable. Many find it hard to resist a bowl of brothy, hot, steamed, fresh mussels served with crispy, golden strips of potato and a complementary dip/sauce, such as garlicky aioli.
If you suddenly have a craving and want to make moules frites at home, it鈥檚 not difficult, even if you don鈥檛 have a deep fryer for the potatoes.
Let鈥檚 start with the mussels.
You鈥檒l find them for sale in Victoria at seafood retail shops such as Oak Bay Seafood and Finest at Sea.
Grocery stores with live tanks may also sell fresh mussels. For today鈥檚 recipe, I bought them at Thrifty Foods. No matter where you go, it鈥檚 best to call ahead to see if they are in stock, as supply can sometimes be limited.
The mussels I bought, shown cooked in the photo, were farmed and harvested by Saltspring Island Mussels.
On that company鈥檚 website, saltspringislandmussels.com, they say the abundance and variety of phytoplankton and microalgae in the B.C. waters where they grow is the primary reason the mussels are sweet and unusually plump.
When buying fresh mussels, choose those that have tightly closed shells, or shells that close tightly when squeezed or tapped. If a shell doesn鈥檛 close, or if it鈥檚 cracked, it means the mussel is dead and should not be eaten.
I most often buy fresh mussels the day I鈥檒l cook them. However, if they鈥檙e very fresh, they could be stored up to a day in the refrigerator. To do so, I like to remove them from their store packaging, set them in a bowl and cover them with a damp cloth until needed.
Most classic recipes for moules frites involve cooking the mussels with such things as shallots, garlic, white wine and pepper just until they open. The mussels are then lifted out of the pot and set in a serving bowl. Cr猫me fra卯che or whipping cream is mixed into the liquid, parsley is added and in some recipes, for added richness, butter is also whisked in.
The mixture is then poured over the mussels.
In my recipe, I took a lighter approach and left out the cr猫me fra卯che or cream. I served the mussels and frites with garlicky aioli, which would definitely add extra richness.
Speaking of those frites, because I don鈥檛 own a deep fryer, rather than cook them in oil in a pot on the stove, I decided to make oven frites by roasting oil-coated strips of potato until crispy in a hot oven. Near the end of cooking, the frites are broiled, making them crispy top and bottom.
My version of moules frites, which serves two, is broken into three separate recipes. Make the aioli first and keep it refrigerated until needed. I would also chop the shallot (or onion), garlic and parsley needed for the mussels ahead of time and refrigerate them, too. I would also clean my mussels as noted in the recipe and keep them chilled until ready to cook.
When you want to serve the meal, start preparing the frites first. When you put them in the oven, get out the rest of the things you鈥檒l need for the mussels. When the frites are about halfway done, start cooking the mussels. By the time the wine mixture starts to simmer and the mussels are added, steamed and opened, the frites should be ready. Bon appetit!
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Quick Aioli
I call this quick aioli because using mayonnaise eliminates the need for you to combine the egg yolks and oil used in traditional versions. Serve it with the mussels and frites.
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Preparation time: a few minutes
Cooking time: none
Makes: about one cup
3/4 cup mayonnaise
1 to 2 large garlic cloves, minced
1 Tbsp lemon juice
2 tsp Dijon mustard
2 tsp olive oil
1/4 tsp paprika
鈥� pinch ground cayenne pepper
Combine ingredients in a small bowl. Cover and refrigerate aioli until needed.
Note: Any leftover aioli will keep at least a week refrigerated. Use it on anything else you think will pair well with this garlicky dip.
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Oven Frites
Keep a close eye on these oven frites near the end of roasting and when broiling. You want them to be rich golden brown, but not scorched! You鈥檒l need a good-quality, non-stick pan for these. If yours is old and worn, the frites may stick.
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Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: About 22 minutes
Makes: two servings
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2 medium baking potatoes, not peeled (mine were about 280 grams each)
3 Tbsp vegetable oil
鈥� salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
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Preheat oven to 450 F. Place an oven rack in the middle position.
Slice each potato lengthwise into 1/4- to 1/2-inch thick slices. Now cut each slice into 1/4- to 1/2-inch-wide strips and place them in a large bowl. Rinse the potatoes with cold water, and then drain well. Very thoroughly dry potatoes with a kitchen towel and set in a clean bowl.
Add the oil, salt and pepper and toss to coat. Arrange potatoes in a single layer on a large, good-quality, non-stick baking sheet (my pan was 17 by 11 inches).
Roast potatoes 18 to 20 minutes, or until richly coloured on the bottom and sides and slightly crispy. Turn the oven to broil and cook the potatoes a short while, until crispy on top. Drain on paper towel and serve frites with mussels and aioli.
Mussels steamed with Wine, Garlic and Tarragon
Mussels cook quickly, so have all your ingredients ready to go before you start cooking them.
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Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: About 10 to 12 minutes
Makes: two servings
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1 1/2 lbs (680 grams) fresh mussels (see Note)
2 tsp olive oil
2 tsp butter
1/4 cup finely chopped shallots or onion
1 large garlic clove, minced
鈥� pinch or two red pepper flakes
1/4 tsp dried tarragon
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/4 cup chicken, vegetable or fish stock
2 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley
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Rinse mussels in cold water and remove any beard-like attachments.
Place oil and butter in a medium pot set over medium to medium-high heat. When butter is melted, add the shallots (or onions) and cook until softened, about two to three minutes. Add the garlic, chili flakes and tarragon and cook one minute more. Add the wine and stock and bring to a simmer. Add the mussels to the pot, cover, return to a simmer, and cook just until they open, about three minutes. Transfer mussels to serving bowls, sprinkle with parsley and serve with the frites and aioli.
Note: When rinsing the mussels, check them over and discard any that are cracked or have shells that won鈥檛 close tightly when squeezed. If a shell doesn鈥檛 close, or if it鈥檚 cracked, the mussel is dead and should not be eaten.
Eric Akis is the author of eight cookbooks. His columns appear in the Life section Wednesday and Sunday.
