“My mom makes the best mussel salad!” Claudie said as she dialed France. Her dad answered and I heard was…
Actually, it was all in French so I can’t tell you what I heard, but she got off the phone laughing and said, “Ok, looks like it wasn’t my mom’s recipe. It was my dad’s and he just gave me the riot act for thinking it was hers!”
Having mussels this way was a huge paradigm shift for me. I grew up in the 70’s and our cabinet was stocked with every conceivable spice bottle you could imagine. Yes, we even had our very own bottle of MSG and it was labeled “MSG” too. I remember going to an Italian restaurant and there might have been a sprig of parsley on the plate more for decoration than to eat. Never in a million years would I have thought to use parsley as the base for a salad, but that’s what you do for this parsley mussel salad.
Perfect Parings
The mussels are meaty and earthy which is balanced so nicely with the brightness of the parsley. They enhance each other beautifully and the fresh squeeze of lemon brings it altogether and makes it sing in your mouth. But make sure you use the flat leaf Italian variety and not the curly kind. Curly parsley can be somewhat gritty and harsh. No Bueno.
So if you’re hesitant to dive into wrangling mussels like I was, rest assured, it’s not hard. Start with one of these recipes and you’ll see how easy and delicious they are to cook. Soon, I’ll be making a big batch of mussels in broth with a big piece of French bread. Thank you so much Claudie for helping me overcome my fear of these beautiful gems and sharing your recipes with me!
Parsley Mussel Salad
This is a recipe inspired from my girlfriend Claudie's home town of Marseilles, France. A far cry from Marseilles, IL! It's a great way to enjoy parsley in a new and abundant way. This is an easy dish that's fast to whip up. It's Low Carb and Gluten Free too! | www.lakesidetable.com
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 5 minutes
Servings 4 servings
Ingredients
- 2 pounds of mussels
- a big bunch of fresh parsley
- juice of 1 lemon
- 1 clove garlic minced
- sea salt and fresh ground pepper to taste
Equipment
- large soup pot
- medium serving bowl
- knife and chopping block
Instructions
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Wash the mussels and discard any broken ones
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Turn the stove on medium high and put all the mussels in a large dry soup pot, cover with a lid but leave space for the steam to escape.
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After the pot starts to steam, steam them for 5 minutes. Remove from heat.
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While the mussels are steaming, chop the parsley, mince the garlic, and cut the lemon in 1/2.
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Open each mussels, remove the beard, release the mussel from the shell, and put them in a bowl.
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Gently toss the parsley and garlic into the mussels.
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Squeeze the lemon over the parsley and mussels. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Recipe Notes
What take the most time in this recipe, is debearding the mussels. If you can enlist the hands of a friend, it goes much faster and it's way more fun!
Nutrition Facts
Parsley Mussel Salad
Amount Per Serving
Calories 0
% Daily Value*
Monounsaturated Fat 0g
Potassium 0mg0%
Vitamin A 0IU0%
Vitamin C 0mg0%
Calcium 0mg0%
Iron 0mg0%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
I love muscles, but I’ve only ever had them steamed (in various fashions). I have never had them as a salad. Sounds delicious. Next time I see some mussels for sale, I will buy them so I can try this recipe. Thanks.
Awesome! These mussels are steamed too, but then when you add all the parsley it really takes on a whole new personality.
Beautiful and yummy presentation!