How to Make Sage Steamed Mussels

Shellfish were considered a powerful aphrodisiac by the Greeks and Romans, who thought that their shape was similar to certain female body parts. Take advantage of the February mussel season to create a spectacular, but simple, appetizer for a romantic Valentine’s Day. These mussels steamed in an herbed white wine and garlic sauce are fun to feed to a special someone.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• Kitchen tongs or a large spoon
• Two serving bowls, one for the acutal dish and one empty for the shells
• 10-inch saute pan
• ½ lb. fresh mussels
• 2 tbsp. unsalted butter
• 1 tbsp. fresh minced garlic
• 4-5 whole washed sage leaves
• 2 tbsp. lemon juice
• ¾ cup dry white wine, such as Chenin Blanc or Semillon

1. Look for bright, shiny shells that are closed tightly when choosing mussels at the fishmonger. Freshness is imperative when cooking with shellfish.
2. Wash the mussels in clean water and pull off any remaining beards, taking care to not leave the mussels in the water.
3. Finely slice the sage leaves into slivers.
4. Heat a 10-inch sauté pan to medium-high heat and add the butter. When the butter has melted, add the garlic and sage.
5. Lower the heat to medium and cook for approximately one minute or until the garlic and sage become noticeably aromatic.
6. Add the mussels, lemon juice and wine to the pan as the garlic and sage are starting to cook.
7. Let the mixture simmer until the mussels start to open up; this takes approximately four to five minutes.
8. Place all of the mussels into the serving bowl once they have all opened and cooked for a minute, and pour the rest of the sauce over them.
9. Serve and enjoy.

Tips & Warnings

• The beard of a mussel is the part of the mussel that attached the shellfish to a rock or boat in the ocean. This part of the mussel is inedible and needs to be discarded. It looks like a dark, grizzly beard, hence the name.
• You can store mussels for up to five days refrigerated by taking them out of the bag they were sold in. Cover the mussels with a damp towel. Replace the towel every day.
• The mussels need to be kept at a temperature of 30-40 degrees in a moist environment.
• Should you need to keep the mussels unrefrigerated for any period of time, place the mussels in a colander set inside a larger bowl and cover them with ice. This is so the mussels are kept cold, but won’t drown in the melting water.
• When serving this dish, it’s best to serve it in a shallow soup bowl with another bowl accompanying it. This extra bowl is for the empty shells after you have eaten the mussel inside.
• If some of the mussels start to open early, leave them in the pan for a minute longer, and then take them out using kitchen tongs or a large spoon to rest on a cutting board or in the serving bowl.
• If during the cleaning and de-bearding of the mussels, any of them should start to open up, quickly tap the outside of the shell. If the mussel shuts the shell, keep it, but if the shellfish doesn’t respond, discard the mussel. This means that it has died and should not be eaten.
• If the mussels or any shellfish start to smell overly fishy or rancid, discard them immediately.