How to Cook Mussels

Have you ever wondered how to cook mussels? Spoiler alert: it's super easy! I'll show you how to choose, store, clean, and cook mussels. Plus I'll share my favorite mussels in white wine recipe. Are you ready to learn how to prepare mussels? Let's do this!

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If you've not cooked a mussels recipe at home before, it's natural that it may feel intimidating! We tend to eat them only at restaurants as a special treat. But mussels are so fast and easy to make that there's no reason they can't be made on busy weekday evenings. Learn how to cook mussels so every day can be a treat!

Why you'll love this white wine mussels recipe

The broth: White wine adds depth and complexity, lemon brightens it up, parsley adds a fresh herbaceous note, some cream makes it luscious, and garlic brings savory depth. All these flavors meld with the seafood broth released by the mussels as they cooked for a super flavorful dish! Pair with a plate of French fries and a glass of white wine. Moules frites!
Ease: Mussels are unsuspectingly really simple to make! Sauté some shallots and garlic in butter or oil, add bay leaves, black pepper, wine, and mussels, then a little cream, lemon juice, and parsley, and enjoy!
Creamy: And about that cream. Heavy cream would be the traditional approach, but we often use dairy-free cashew cream. The choice is yours!
Impressive: It's a simple and classic mussels recipe that's really easy to master. Your friends will ask if you've been going to cooking classes!

Mussel recipe ingredients

When it comes to cooking mussels, all you really need to make delicious mussels at home is white wine, garlic, and butter. I've added a few extra items here to elevate these to restaurant quality mussels – and you still only need 10 ingredients! Gather these items:

Mussels: The star of the show! Follow my tips for selecting the best mussels.
Other ingredients: Butter, shallot, garlic cloves, bay leaves, black pepper, white wine, lemon juice, minced parsley.
Optional: Heavy cream.

You'll notice there is no salt listed. Mussels release saltwater into the cooking liquid as they steam, so the dish will be plenty salty already!

How to choose mussels

Cooking steamed mussels is so very simple that the hardest step (that's not actually hard!) is selecting the best mussels. So, let's chat about how to get good ones!

Mussels are alive when you buy them, so look for them in low tanks in the fish department. Often, your fishmonger will let you pick out the mussels you want. If they're only sold in bags in your grocery store, you may want to open the bag first to make sure the mussels are alive and in good shape.

Occasionally, they will be sold on ice. However, they need to breathe, so make sure that they are not submerged in water.

A few rules for buying mussels

Smell: Mussels should smell briny, like the sea. If they smell bad, don't buy them.
Shells: The shells should be tightly closed. If a shell is open, give it a firm tap on the counter. If it closes, it means it's still alive and safe to eat. If it doesn't close, don't buy it. Don't buy mussels if their shells are cracked.
Ice: If you're more than a short walk from your grocery store, ask the fishmonger for a bag of ice to help keep the mussels cold on your drive home.

How to store mussels

Storing fresh mussels

There are a few things you can do to ensure freshness when you're storing your fresh bag of mussels! They are best when enjoyed the same day they're bought, but you can put them in the fridge for a couple of days. If you do need to stash them for longer than the afternoon, grab a few extra mussels as you'll end up tossing a few that don't make it.

As soon as you get home, empty your bag of mussels into a colander and set that colander over a large bowl. This will prevent the mussels from suffocating in the liquid they release. Cover the bowl with a cloth and put it in your fridge.

Mussels need to breathe so never cover the bowl with plastic. Also, remember not to clean the mussels until right before you cook them.

Storing cooked mussels

If you have leftover mussels, you can store them to eat later. Put them in a covered container and keep them in your fridge for up to 2 days. But please don't reheat leftover mussels! Trust me, this is not something you want to do.

Instead, top them with a little finely minced onion and tomato and a squeeze of lime juice or a little sherry vinegar and serve them cold on the half shell. They're delicious this way!

How to clean mussels

If you're wondering how to prepare mussels for cooking, we've got some helpful tips! Right before you cook the mussels, you need to clean them. Don't do this in advance or you'll kill them, and they won't be suitable for eating.

Working with one mussel at a time, rinse the shell under cool running water and scrub it gently to remove debris. Keep the bowl of mussels on the counter, as you don't want it to fill with water.

If the mussel has something that looks like hair (see the picture above), this is called the beard. It's a bit of the rope that it was grown on and should be removed before cooking.

To remove the beard, or de-beard the mussels, grab the beard and pull it towards the tail (narrow) end of the mussel. Most of the time it will come out with a firm tug. If not, you can cut it with a pair of scissors as close to the shell as possible.

Broth to cook mussels

What sets each mussel recipe apart is the broth you cook it in! The broth adds so much flavor. It's normal for the mussels to release water as they cook, and this creates a seafood broth that melds with the flavors you add in, creating a delectable sauce to dip some crusty bread (or fries!) into.

Adding alcohol, like white wine, adds complexity and depth of flavor when it mingles with the juices the mussels release. I've also used apple cider before in a pinch, and it worked a treat!

If you want to cook without alcohol, a simple vegetable broth, seafood broth, or chicken broth will work great, too! Add garlic for savory depth and lemon for brightness. Chopped parsley on top will add a herbaceous note, too.

Which white wine to use for cooking mussels

Mussels in white wine sauce taste divine, no matter what bottle you grab. I tend to reach for a different bottle each time I make mussels, and the results are always great. For mussels, a drier white wine will complement the flavors well. Look for Pinot Gris, Pinot Grigio, Sauvignon Blanc, and Pinot Blanc.