Steamed Mussels With Sausage and Mushrooms in White Wine Sauce

Cooking mussels at home has never been easier. Plump fresh Italian mussels from Sardinia get all the right treatment in this seafood dish, and it only takes 15 minutes to cook.

A close cousin to French "Moules Frites," this easy mussels recipe has a touch of porky mushroom goodness. Mussels are steamed in a base of sautéed sausage, mushrooms, garlic, and white wine and sprinkled with finely diced sweet grape tomatoes and parsley for the finish.

The only thing needed to complete this Bistro-style meal is the crispiest, crunchiest "Frites" or your favorite baguette of crusty bread for dipping. 

How Long Does it Take to Prepare and Cook Mussels?

Cooking mussels is incredibly easy. They only take about 5 minutes to fully steam open, making them a quick, simple, and healthy choice for any meal. But preparing mussels can be a bit of work, depending on how "clean" they are when you buy them.

You can usually buy them already scrubbed clean or, at the very least, free of the mud and grit that is part of a mussel's life and habitat.

When mussels are available pre-cleaned, they make for a really easy meal solution. In which case, the only work involved in getting these bivalves to the dinner table is removing their beards (the scrubby little part connected to the mussel) and letting them soak a while first.

Soaking mussels is necessary to allow them to release any sand and grit they may be holding onto inside their shells. Use the trick of adding some flour and salt to the soaking water, which ensures you won't end up eating sand.

For this recipe, I've used mussels from Sardegna (Sardinia), but you can use any variety of sustainable mussels, like PEI mussels (Prince Edward Island mussels), which are especially tasty.

How to Avoid Over-Cooking Mussels

When steaming mussels or clams, keep a large bowl next to the steaming pot.  As soon as the mussels begin to open, remove them to the bowl individually using a pair of tongs. This will keep the mussels (or clams) from becoming overcooked and rubbery.  All mussels tend to open up within about 5 minutes. Clams tend to take about 8 minutes.

When the mussels have all opened up, you should have an empty pan full of mussel (or clam) juice and sauce, which you may choose to reduce slightly or serve as is. Whenever you're ready to eat, simply place the mussels (or clams) back into the pan and serve them while still hot.

NOTE: If you happen to have any leftover mussel white wine sauce, refrigerate it overnight and use it to make pasta the next day. I usually freeze it so I can pull it out for a really simple and delicious mussel-flavored pasta later on. It's delicious and a great way to get the most out of these shellfish.

Green Mussels Versus Black Mussels - What's the Difference?

There are a few differences between black mussels and green mussels. Black mussels have a deep blue-black shell, whereas green mussels have a grey-brown shell with a bright green colored lip around the edge (they're really pretty). Black mussels also tend to be smaller (around 2-3 inches). 

Green mussels are larger, around 5 ½ to 6 inches. And of course, the flavor of both of these mussel varieties also depends on whether they're farmed or grown in their natural habitats.  The best way to understand the flavor and textural difference between green and black mussels is to eat them for yourself.

Here are the main differences in flavor and texture of black and green mussels:

• Green mussels tend to be chewier and work well in recipes for steaming or frying because they tend to have a less delicate flavor than their black mussels cousins. Most green mussels are farmed, making them more expensive than black mussels.
• Black mussels have a more delicate texture and a slightly sweet, briny flavor. 

Ingredients 

You only need a few simple ingredients to make this steamed mussels recipe.  And while sausage or mushrooms taste delicious, high-quality mussels will stand up all on their own. Below are the basics for any good recipe for mussels in white wine sauce. 

• mussels
• Italian salsiccia (or favorite pork sausage)
• dry white wine
• extra virgin olive oil
• garlic
• parsley
• diced sweet tomatoes (optional but recommended)
• unsalted butter (optional)
• dried chili pepper (or crushed red pepper flakes)

Make it a Moules Frites (Just add Fries)

One of the best ways to eat steamed mussels is to soak up all the delicious sausage and mushroom white wine sauce with crispy French fries. When I'm eating Moules Frites, I like to throw in a little pile of fries at the bottom of the bowl so they can start soaking up the briny sauce.

I first ate Moules Frites at Les Halles (Brasserie Les Halles, where Anthony Bourdain got his start), and I have been eating them ever since. 

How to Make Steamed Mussels with Sausage and Mushrooms in White Wine Sauce

1. Clean the mussels. Discard any mussels that are cracked or open. With the remaining mussels, remove the "beard" from each by tugging and sliding upwards. This should easily remove the beards. Place de-bearded mussels in a bowl of water until all beards have been removed. If the mussels have been prewashed and de-bearded, you may proceed with soaking them.  However, if mussels have grit or mud on the shells, you'll need to scrub each one clean with a heavy-duty scrubber.
2. Soak the mussels.  Add the debearded and cleaned mussels to a large bowl, sprinkle ¼-1/2 cup of flour over the surface, add 1-2 tablespoons of sea salt, and cover with water. Stir everything around with your hand to incorporate the flour into the water. Set a timer for 1 hour. After the mussels have soaked, rinse each one under running water and place them in a clean bowl.
3. Heat olive oil and smashed garlic in a sauté pan or dutch oven. Cook the garlic over medium heat until it's lightly blistered and blonde but not browned.
4. Cook the sausage and mushrooms. Add the pork and sauté until browned and cooked through. Add the mushrooms and a pinch of salt, and cook for a few more minutes until golden brown.
5. Cook the mussels. Turn the heat to high and add the mussels and white wine.  Cover with a lid and shake the pan occasionally to move the mussels around. After about 2 minutes, check for any mussels that have steamed open and remove them to a separate bowl. Place the lid back on if needed and continue removing cooked mussels until all have been removed. Discard any mussels that don't open.
6. Add the remaining ingredients to the mussels sauce. Throw in the butter, chopped parsley, and diced tomatoes, and cook for a couple of minutes until the butter is melted and the sauce comes together. Add the mussels back to the pot, toss everything together, and serve with French Fries or a baguette of bread, Enjoy!

Mussels with Sausage and Mushrooms in White Wine Sauce Step-by-Step Recipe Photos

What to serve with Mussels in Sausage and Mushroom White Wine Sauce

Here are a few of our favorite recipes to eat with steamed mussels.

• Frites or French fries
• Starburst Vinaigrette with mixed baby lettuce greens or arugula
• 4-Minute Perfect Pan-Seared Shrimp
• Diver Scallops au Gratin (Capesante Gratinate)

Top Tips

• How long to steam mussels? Mussels steam up quickly in 5 minutes or less which makes them ideal for quick and healthy meals. If you let them cook much longer than this, they will become overcooked and rubbery.
• How do I make sure I don't overcook mussels so they aren't chewy and tough?  Ensure the mussels don't overcook by immediately removing any open mussels to a bowl while the rest continue cooking. Replace the lid back on the pot to allow the others to open up. Repeat this step, checking every 30 seconds or so to remove opened shells until all mussels are opened. Let the mussels rest in the bowl and toss them back into the sauce before serving.
• Where do the best mussels come from? This is subjective of course, but experts and connoisseurs say the best mussels come from the river Scheldt, which connects Western Belgium to the Netherlands.  Others say the best mussels come from New Zealand.
• Why do mussels need to be soaked prior to cooking and how long should I soak them? Mussels need to be soaked prior to cooking so they release any sand they may have accumulated.  Soak mussels for 20 minutes to an hour in water mixed with about ¼- ½ cup of all-purpose flour and a couple of tablespoons of sea salt. Alternatively, you can soak mussels in cold seawater or salted water for 20 minutes to 1 hour prior to cooking.  Rinse well before using.
• What do mussels taste like? Any good mussel should taste briny and like the ocean or seabed from which it came. Unless you're eating a freshwater mussel which will be a little less intensely flavored. Mussels should still taste a little bit "fishy", but in a fresh delicious way and not overwhelmingly so. They are usually delicate tasting and sometimes even a bit sweet.
• What's the difference in taste between mussels and clams?  Clams have a briny and pungent flavor, while mussels have a smoother more delicate flavor. Clams are also chewier than mussels for the most part (green mussels can actually be quite chewy).