In this article, I present my version of moules frites. The original Belgian-style mussels are served with French fries.
I still have very fond memories of Belgian food since my last visit to Brussels. The fresh mussels were a feast for me! I want to have that at home too.
I don’t like deep-frying in my kitchen. That’s why I prepare the potato side dish in the oven. A homemade mayonnaise is a must at this point. I show you the entire preparation with a cooking video and many step-by-step photos.
Let’s start the preparation and conjure up a fine dish! Have fun and good luck. Feel free to write me a cooking question at the end of the article or get in touch for kitchen gossip.
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1. Moules frites Recipe
If you have a deep fryer in the house, you can prepare the potato side dish from fresh potatoes as French fries. I opted for a healthier version: oven roasted potatoes. Below are the step-by-step instructions with photos. I wish you good luck!
- 1 kg mussels fresh
- 5 pc potatoes
- 1 tsp salt I use Fleur de Sel
- 6 pinches pepper black, ground
- 2 pinches dried chilli pepper
- 2 pinches thyme
- some oliv oil
- 1 tsp hot mustard I use Dijon mustard
- 1 tbs lemon juice I use the juice of half a lemon
- 3 pinches salt I use primal salt or Himalayan salt
- 2 pinches pepper
- 1 pc egg only the yolk!
- 125 ml oliv oil
- 1-2 pc carrots
- 80 g celery
- 1/4 pc leek
- 1/4 bunch parsley
- 4 pc garlic clove
- 1-2 tbs oliv oil
- 2 grains allspice
- 2 pc bay leaves optional
- 2 pc sugar
- 100 ml dry white wine or Prosecco
- 200 ml vegetable broth
- 50 g butter
- 3 pinches chilli flakes
- Prepare the ingredients, wash and dry the vegetables and herbs.
- Wash the mussels several times in cold water and then leave them in cold water.
- Wash the potatoes and cut them into 2 cm pieces, depending on their size.
- Season the potatoes with salt, pepper, thyme, chilli and olive oil in a bowl.
- Spread the potatoes on a baking tray with baking paper and cook in the oven at 200°C for 35 minutes until crisp.
- Prepare the ingredients for mayo at room temperature. Put the lemon juice, mustard, salt and pepper in a high mug. Add the egg yolk and whisk with a hand mixer. Slowly whisk in the oil, first drop by drop, then in a thin stream until you have a creamy mayonnaise sauce. Pour the sauce into a bowl and chill.
- Peel the carrots and celery and chop them with the leek. Finely chop the parsley, peel and halve the garlic.
- Roast the garlic halves in a large pot with allspice.
- Caramelise the garlic with a little sugar.
- Add the chopped vegetables and sauté.
- Deglaze with white wine and vegetables and bring to the boil, add butter and chilli.
- Place the mussels in a colander and drain.
- Add the cleaned mussels to the pot and cook with the lid on for 10 -12 minutes.
- Season the mussels with parsley.
- Arrange mussels with stock and vegetables on hot plates. Serve with potatoes from the oven and mayonnaise. Enjoy your meal!
2. Nutritional values and calories
3. Discover the speciality of moules frites
The sea creatures come to the table in Belgium with freshly prepared chips. The mussel preparation itself is not very different from the well-known mussels in white wine variant from Italian cuisine.
The crispy fries on the side are a hit! I’ve already had the pleasure of enjoying this dish in Brussels and anyone who goes there should find a decent restaurant and order the mussels.
I had the mussels served in a pot, with chips and mayo. Since it’s hard to get beef fat for frying in Germany, I made oven potatoes for my version.
Mussels and crispy potatoes, that tastes wonderful!
Side dish tip from chef Thomas Sixt
4. Mussels cooking tips
To be honest, I prefer to buy the seafood clean. On the mainland, the goods usually arrive in the shops already quite well and appetisingly prepared.
Nevertheless, look a bit and always wash the mussels well in cold water. Scrape the shells with a knife as needed if there are chalky bits (shells) of sea anemones stuck to the mussels.
5. How to recognise good and bad mussels?
Here is some information on how to deal with sea creatures when shopping and in your kitchen
5.1 Odour test
When unpacking, please pay attention to the smell: fresh, live mussels smell gently of the sea and seaweed.
If the mussels smell unpleasant, please do not process them. Mussel poisoning is not funny.
5.2 Shell broken
Put the mussels in cold water and wait a few minutes. Sort out mussels with broken shells immediately. The mussels open and close while lying in the water.
5.3 Mussel knock test
Slightly open (1-2 mm) is OK, the mussels should close again when tapped or when lying in cold water. It is important that the mussel is still alive.
5.4 Closed mussels after cooking
Mussels that present themselves with closed shells after cooking are not to be eaten. Mussels that are closed after cooking are not OK and must not be eaten. Please only eat the wide-open mussels!
Please only eat mussels that have been opened after cooking. Closed mussels are not edible.
Chef Thomas Sixt on eating mussels!
