Gordon Ramsay’s mussels are steamed in white wine, shallots and garlic, then finished with double cream and a stir of butter. The recipe is his moules marinière from Quick & Delicious, and the mussels cook in four to five minutes.
In the book he calls mussels a favourite shellfish, “cheap, healthy and delicious” and ready in minutes. His version is richer than the textbook French one, because he reduces it in cream and stirs through wild garlic. Most recipes online stop at plain wine and parsley.
The trick is reducing twice: the wine by half, then the cream by half, before the mussels go in. That builds a sauce with real body instead of a thin, winey puddle. Get that base right and the rest is just a quick steam.
Gordon Ramsay Mussels (Moules Marinière)
Course: Main Course, StarterCuisine: FrenchDifficulty: Easy2
servings10
minutes10
minutes680
kcal20
minutesGordon Ramsay’s moules marinière from Quick & Delicious, mussels steamed in white wine and cream with a wild garlic lift, served with cheesy wild garlic toasts. Ready in under 20 minutes.
Ingredients
- For the mussels:
1kg mussels, scrubbed and debearded
2 tbsp olive oil
2 banana shallots, peeled and finely diced
1 large garlic clove, peeled and finely chopped
125ml dry white wine (Muscadet works well)
150ml double cream
Large handful of wild garlic leaves, finely chopped (or double the garlic)
30g butter
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
- For the wild garlic toasts:
150g butter, softened
Handful of wild garlic, roughly chopped
4 to 6 slices of baguette, cut on the diagonal
20g Parmesan, finely grated
Directions
- Prep the mussels: Wash and debeard them, then drain. Bin any that are cracked or won’t close when tapped.
- Make the wild garlic butter: Blend the softened 150g butter with the roughly chopped wild garlic, salt and pepper. Set aside.
- Start the sauce: Heat the oil in a lidded pan, soften the shallots for 2 to 3 minutes, add the garlic for a minute, then pour in the wine and reduce by half.
- Add the cream: Stir in the cream and finely chopped wild garlic, turn the heat high and reduce by half again.
- Grill the toasts: Toast the baguette one side, flip, spread with the wild garlic butter, grate over the Parmesan and grill until golden.
- Steam and serve: Add the mussels, lid on, 4 to 5 minutes until they open. Discard any that stay shut, stir the 30g butter through the sauce, and serve with the toasts.
FAQs
What’s the secret to cooking mussels?
Speed and heat, that is the whole game. Ramsay gets the pan hot, adds the mussels, claps the lid on and steams them for four to five minutes. They are done the moment the shells open.
Cook them longer and they turn rubbery, which is the most common mistake. So have everything else ready before they go in. Shake the pan once or twice so the bottom ones swap with the top and they steam evenly.
What wine does Gordon Ramsay use for mussels, and can you skip it?
For this classic he uses a dry white wine, and he names Muscadet. The acidity lifts the cream and stops it feeling heavy. Sauvignon Blanc or Pinot Grigio do the same job, but keep it dry, never sweet.
He does not always reach for white, though. In his saffron flatbread mussels he uses dry sherry and says it works better there than the wine usually used. His celery version leans on vermouth, so you have options if the wine cupboard is bare.
What other ways does Gordon Ramsay cook mussels?
Plenty, and that is what makes mussels worth learning. There is a Thai-style aromatic coconut broth with lemongrass, chilli and coriander, finished with coconut milk instead of cream. It is lighter and fragrant rather than rich.
He also does a quick celery and chilli version finished with crème fraîche, and a Japanese sake and miso one served over soba noodles. Mussels also go into his seafood paella, added near the end so they don’t toughen. The broth around them does the work.
How do you make moules frites?
Moules frites is just this dish with chips on the side, the way bistros across France and Belgium serve it. The mussels stay exactly as above, you simply add a bowl of hot, crisp fries for dipping into the sauce.
My guide to his crispy french fries walks through the boil-and-double-fry method that gets them shatteringly crisp. If you’re making a night of it, his salt and pepper squid is another quick seafood starter to put out.
How do you tell if mussels are fresh and safe?
Buy them tightly shut, and give any open ones a tap. A fresh mussel snaps closed; one that stays open is dead, so throw it away before cooking. Cracked shells go in the bin too.
Pull off the wiry beard hanging from the shell, because that grit is what muddies the broth. After cooking, the rule flips: any mussel still shut has not cooked through, so discard those. When in doubt, leave it out.
Can you reheat mussels?
Not really, no. Mussels are a cook-and-eat-now dish, because reheating turns the meat tough and shrunken. The sauce is still good, but the mussels themselves suffer.
If you have leftovers, pick the meat from the shells and stir it cold through a pasta or a salad the next day. Do not steam them twice. Cook only what you will eat in one sitting.
