Steamed Mussels in Garlicky Wine Broth
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Steamed mussels in a buttery, garlicky white wine broth make for a simple yet elegant dinner. Don’t forget the crusty bread to soak up every last drop of that briny, flavorful sauce!
(America’s Test Kitchen, 2020)
Mussels are easy to make and inexpensive to buy, making them a simple yet elegant option for dinner or an appetizer. In this recipe, they’re steamed in a briny, garlicky, buttery wine broth that practically begs to be sopped up with crusty bread. The recipe is adapted from Foolproof Fish: Modern Recipes for Everyone, Everywhere by America’s Test Kitchen, a gorgeous and practical cookbook packed with seafood recipes and expert tips.
While this is a classic mussels recipe, the cooking method is different than the norm. Instead of cramming the mussels into a Dutch oven or pot on the stovetop, they’re steamed in a roomy roasting pan in a blazing-hot oven. This ensures all the mussels, no matter their size, cook evenly. After 15 minutes, every mussel—big or small—gently opens, releasing its juices into the wine broth to create an irresistible sauce.
Table of Contents
“The mussels turned out perfectly and we loved that delicious broth! This was my first time making mussels and the information in your recipe really helped me.”
What You’ll Need To Make Steamed Mussels In Garlicky Wine Broth
- Extra-virgin olive oil: Adds richness to the broth while helping cook the garlic and red pepper flakes without burning.
- Garlic: Infuses the dish with savory, aromatic flavor that complements the mussels and wine.
- Red pepper flakes: Adds a hint of heat to balance the richness of the butter and wine.Dry white wine: Provides acidity and a bright, crisp flavor to the broth. Use a dry wine like Sauvignon Blanc or Pinot Grigio. Choose a bottle that’s inexpensive but still good enough to drink.
- Fresh thyme and bay leaves: These herbs infuse the broth with earthy, aromatic flavors.
- Mussels: These shellfish soak up the flavorful broth while releasing their own briny essence. Most farm-raised mussels are already scrubbed and debearded, but it’s still a good idea to give them a rinse under cold water. Discard any that remain open after tapping or have cracked shells. To keep mussels fresh, store them in the refrigerator in a bowl covered with a damp paper towel—never in an airtight container, as they need to breathe. If they come in a mesh bag, it’s fine to leave them in that.
- Butter: Adds richness and gives the broth a silky, luxurious texture.
- Fresh Parsley: Provides a fresh, herbaceous finish that lightens the richness of the dish.
- Crusty bread: Perfect for soaking up the flavorful wine-butter broth.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
Step-by-Step Instructions
Most markets sell farm-raised fresh mussels, which are easy to clean—in fact, they are usually already scrubbed and debearded. However, it’s still a good idea to clean them prior to cooking. Simply put them in a colander and run them under cold running water, using your hands or a scrubbing brush to remove any sand or debris. If beards (the little tuft of fibers the mussel uses to connect to rocks or pilings) are present, cut or scrape them off with a paring knife, or use your fingers to pull them sharply down toward the hinged point of the shells.
The mussels should be tightly closed. If you see a mussel that is open, tap it gently against the counter; in a live mussel, this will trigger a reaction to close its shell. If the mussel doesn’t slowly close, it has died and should be discarded. Discard any mussels with cracked shells as well.
Set a large roasting pan on the stovetop over medium heat. Add the oil, garlic, and red pepper flakes and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, 30 to 60 seconds. Do not brown.
Add the wine, thyme, and bay leaves and boil until slightly reduced, about 1 minute.
Stir the salt and mussels into the cooking liquid.
Cover the pan tightly with aluminum foil (remember the edges of the pan will be hot) and transfer to the oven.
Roast until the majority of the mussels have opened, about 15 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven, and place a dishtowel over the handle to remind yourself that it’s hot. Discard any unopened mussels.
Using a wooden spoon, push the mussels to the edges of the pan. Add the butter to the center and stir until melted.
Discard the thyme sprigs and bay leaves and stir in the parsley.
Spoon the mussels and wine broth into bowls and serve with bread.
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Oven-Steamed Mussels with Garlic and White Wine
Steamed mussels in a buttery, garlicky white wine broth make for a simple yet elegant dinner. Don’t forget the crusty bread to soak up every last drop of that briny, flavorful sauce!
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 4 large garlic cloves, minced
- Pinch red pepper flakes
- 1½ cups dry white wine (see note)
- 4 sprigs fresh thyme
- 2 bay leaves
- Brimming ¼ teaspoon salt
- 4 pounds mussels, scrubbed and debearded (see note)
- 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 5 pieces
- 3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh Italian parsley
- Crusty bread, for serving
Instructions
- Set an oven rack in the lowest position and preheat the oven to 500°F.
- Set a large roasting pan on the stovetop over medium heat. Add the oil, garlic, and red pepper flakes and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, 30 to 60 seconds. Do not brown. Add the wine, thyme, and bay leaves and boil until slightly reduced, about 1 minute.
- Stir in the salt and mussels. Cover the pan tightly with aluminum foil (remember the edges of the pan will be hot) and transfer to the oven. Roast until the majority of the mussels have opened, about 15 minutes.
- Remove the pan from the oven, and place a dishtowel over the handle to remind yourself that it's hot. Discard any unopened mussels. Using a wooden spoon, push the mussels to the edges of the pan. Add the butter to the center and stir until melted. Discard the thyme sprigs and bay leaves and stir in the parsley. Spoon the mussels and wine broth into bowls and serve with bread.
- Note: When a recipe calls for dry white wine, the best options are Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Grigio, or unoaked Chardonnay. Select a bottle that is inexpensive but still good enough to drink.
- Note: Most markets sell farm-raised mussels, which are easy to clean — in fact, they are usually already scrubbed and debearded. However, it’s still a good idea to clean them prior to cooking. Simply put them in a colander and run them under cold running water, using your hands or a scrubbing brush to remove any sand or debris. If beards (the little tuft of fibers the mussel uses to connect to rocks or pilings) are present, cut or scrape them off with a paring knife, or use your fingers to pull them sharply down toward the hinged point of the shells. The mussels should be tightly closed. If you see a mussel that is open, tap it gently against the counter; in a live mussel, this will trigger a reaction to close its shell. If the mussel doesn’t slowly close, it has died and should be discarded. Discard any mussels with cracked shells as well.
Nutrition Information
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- Per serving (2 servings)
- Calories: 693
- Fat: 35 g
- Saturated fat: 12 g
- Carbohydrates: 22 g
- Sugar: 1 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 55 g
- Sodium: 1,351 mg
- Cholesterol: 165 mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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Used my Le Crueset braiser, added one pound of cooked linguine noodles when mussels were ready, tossed everything together! Absolutely delicious!!!
I love on Cape Cod and was a bit skeptical about roasting mussels. Followed recipe and was surprised and happy with the results. Easy and delicious. Thank you.
Hi Jenn. I use your site a lot and appreciate you very much for all the info you share with us. Are you able to tell us a few brands of commonly found red and white wines you use for cooking in recipes that call for dry red or white wine as an ingredient? I know people say to use what you would drink but I don’t drink too much wine but don’t mind cooking with it. Thanks!
Hi Heather, a good reasonably priced dry red wine is Josh Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon and a white one for a white, Duck Pond Pinot Gris or Josh Cellars Sauvignon Blanc both work nicely. And if you can’t find those, I wouldn’t get too hung up on it – just ask someone at the liquor store to point you toward inexpensive/moderately priced red and white wines that are good for cooking – I’ve always found them to be very helpful. 😊
Didn’t know mussels could be so good and the cleanup was simple. Great recipe! thank you.
Very good, but a tad salty! Easily 4 servings. We used 1/2 mussels and 1/2 clams and this turned out great!!
Hi Jenn, I made these recently and it didn’t go so well. I followed the recipe to the letter. I baked the baked them 15 minutes and checked on them only about a third of them had opened. I baked them for another 5 minutes and most of them had opened but only slightly. I thought maybe it was a different kind of mussel than I had never used so I went ahead and served them. Trying to get them out of the shells was very difficult and made the meal kind of a chore. We now have over half of them in the freezer. Not sure if that’s going to work but, couldn’t throw them out right away. :/ The sauce with the bread was excellent. Any ideas of what the problem could have been?
Hi Sharon, I’m sorry you had a problem with them! It really just sounds like you had a stubborn batch of mussels and they needed to be cooked a bit longer. Hope you have a better experience if you make them again!
Delish.
I made these to go with the Marlyland Crab Cake recipe (another 5*) and Jenn’s roasted baby potatoes. These were fabulous—truly restaurant worthy! And so easy! Mussels are a bit intimidating to me, but the steps were clear and the results delicious.
The mussels turned out perfectly and we loved that delicious broth! This was my first time making mussels and the information in your recipe really helped me. Thanks Jenn!
So good! I will try 14 minutes cook time, maybe one more garlic, and one less butter, but was really good. Reminds me of Paris!