Fragrant and nuanced, Grilled Mussels with Shallots, Garlic, and White Wine are a delightful, light meal perfect for serving with grilled crusty bread to sop up the juices.
Picture this: the sun is shining. It’s a balmy day and you’re home, ready for an excellent weekend. The days are longer now, so you can linger on your porch. Maybe some friends join you. Maybe your kids are home and your significant other is entertaining everyone while you sip on a crisp glass of your favorite beverage.
What are you going to eat? On days like that, when the weather is beautiful and the sun is shining, why head inside to cook when you can have an amazing, flavorful, excellent meal prepared al fresco?
Enter Grilled Mussels with Shallots, Garlic, and White Wine. This quick and easy recipe can be made entirely on a grill. Just add crusty bread for grilling and a salad for a complete, delightful, light meal
This recipe begins with fresh mussels. Our Maine city has two fish markets, and my favorite one almost always stocks mesh bags of fresh mussels. Once you get them home, clean them removing any beards, to prepare them for cooking.
The mussels will cook directly on the grill and pretty quickly, so you’ll want tongs and a serving bowl at the ready when you are cooking them.
These are finished off with a sauce made of shallots, garlic, white wine and butter. I cook this in a cast iron pan on the burner of my grill. But if your grill doesn’t have a burner, that’s okay. Using a cast iron pan, this could also be cooked directly on the grill. Leave the lid open while you’re cooking.
When complete, the sauce is poured over the mussels before serving. The whole process takes just minutes.
And then it’s ready to enjoy. Keep this recipe handy for those nights outside that are quickly approaching. It’s worth it.
Grilled Mussels with Shallots, Garlic, and White Wine
Fragrant and nuanced, Grilled Mussels with Shallots, Garlic, and White Wine are a delightful, light meal perfect for serving with grilled crusty bread to sop up the juices.
Ingredients
- 2 lbs mussels, picked over (discard any that don’t close tightly when you tap on the shells)
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 large shallot, finely chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- ¼ cup white wine
Instructions
- Heat the grill to medium-high (about 450 degrees Fahrenheit).
- Pick over the mussels, discarding any that don’t close tightly when you tap the shells. Rinse with water and remove any beards.
- Put the clean mussels directly on the grill and close the lid. Cook for 2-3 minutes. Check and transfer opened mussels to a large, shallow serving bowl. Continue until all mussels have been transferred. Discard any that don’t open.
- Once the mussels are done, place a small cast iron skillet on the grill and add the butter. Once melted, stir in the garlic and shallots. Cook for 2-3 minutes — or until softened and translucent. Stir in the white wine and cook for an additional 2 minutes. Spoon the mixture over the mussels. But be careful, the pan will be extremely hot — make sure to use a potholder whenever handling it.
- Serve immediately.
Notes
Serving suggestion: Grilled bread is great with these. Grab a loaf of sourdough and slice. Brush each piece with olive oil and grill for 1-2 minutes per side, until crisp (there should be grill lines!).