America's Test Kitchen LogoCook's Country LogoCook's Illustrated LogoAmerica's Test Kitchen LogoCook's Country LogoCook's Illustrated Logo

Steamed Mussel Sauce with Lemon and White Wine

By America's Test Kitchen

Published on August 22, 2007

Time

35 minutes

Yield

Serves 4

Steamed Mussel Sauce with Lemon and White Wine

Ingredients

3 dozen mussels, rinsed thoroughly, weedy beards removed½ cup dry white wine ¼ teaspoon olive oil 2 medium cloves garlic, minced½ teaspoon red pepper flakes 1 medium lemon, zest grated to yield 1 teaspoon zest, juiced to yield 2 tablespoons juice2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley leaves Table salt

Before You Begin

This sauce is fairly soupy, so serve it with bread. Use linguine or spaghetti and feel free to substitute littleneck clams for the mussels.

Instructions

  1. Bring mussels and wine to boil in large soup kettle over medium-high heat. Lower heat to steam mussels until most have opened, 4 to 5 minutes. Discard any that have not opened. Remove mussels from shells if desired; set aside. Strain liquid through paper towel-lined sieve and reserve. Wipe out soup kettle with another paper towel.
  2. Heat oil over medium heat in now empty soup kettle. Add garlic and pepper flakes; sauté over medium heat until garlic is golden, about 1 minute. Add strained mussel broth, zest, and juice; simmer to blend flavors, 3 to 4 minutes. Return mussels to kettle; heat to warm through. Stir in parsley and add salt to taste. Toss sauce with cooked pasta and serve immediately.
Steamed Mussel Sauce with Lemon and White Wine

Steamed Mussel Sauce with Lemon and White Wine

Headshot of America's Test Kitchen
By America's Test Kitchen
Save

Time

35 minutes

Yield

Serves 4

Ingredients

3 dozen mussels, rinsed thoroughly, weedy beards removed
½ cup dry white wine
¼ teaspoon olive oil
2 medium cloves garlic, minced
½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 medium lemon, zest grated to yield 1 teaspoon zest, juiced to yield 2 tablespoons juice
2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley leaves
Table salt

Ingredients

3 dozen mussels, rinsed thoroughly, weedy beards removed
½ cup dry white wine
¼ teaspoon olive oil
2 medium cloves garlic, minced
½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 medium lemon, zest grated to yield 1 teaspoon zest, juiced to yield 2 tablespoons juice
2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley leaves
Table salt

Ingredients

3 dozen mussels, rinsed thoroughly, weedy beards removed
½ cup dry white wine
¼ teaspoon olive oil
2 medium cloves garlic, minced
½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 medium lemon, zest grated to yield 1 teaspoon zest, juiced to yield 2 tablespoons juice
2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley leaves
Table salt

Why This Recipe Works

It took very little work to turn mussels into a quick pasta sauce. For our steamed mussel sauce recipe, we simply steamed the mussels in wine, strained the resulting broth to use in a simple sauce, and tossed both with linguine or spaghetti.

Before You Begin

This sauce is fairly soupy, so serve it with bread. Use linguine or spaghetti and feel free to substitute littleneck clams for the mussels.

Instructions

  1. Bring mussels and wine to boil in large soup kettle over medium-high heat. Lower heat to steam mussels until most have opened, 4 to 5 minutes. Discard any that have not opened. Remove mussels from shells if desired; set aside. Strain liquid through paper towel-lined sieve and reserve. Wipe out soup kettle with another paper towel.
  2. Heat oil over medium heat in now empty soup kettle. Add garlic and pepper flakes; sauté over medium heat until garlic is golden, about 1 minute. Add strained mussel broth, zest, and juice; simmer to blend flavors, 3 to 4 minutes. Return mussels to kettle; heat to warm through. Stir in parsley and add salt to taste. Toss sauce with cooked pasta and serve immediately.

Gift This Recipe

Enjoyed this dish? Let others know by sharing it as a gift recipe.

This is a members' feature.