Exquisite French-style mussels in bouillabaisse broth made with garlic, saffron, chilli, white wine, stock, tomatoes and orange rind
Last updated 15 April 2022
Simple French style mussels at home!
French-inspired cuisine and shellfish, sounds a little complex, doesn’t it? For this reason, most of us leave it to the professional chefs to prepare these types of dishes for us in fancy restaurants.
With a little shortcut here and there mixed with some creativity, it’s very possible to make French Style mussels at home!
This recipe is not only straightforward, it’s all done in one pot. That means we’re doing fuss-free cooking with less to clean up. What’s even better, is there are no rare or exotic ingredients needed, so you won’t end up scratching your head asking, ‘Where do I get that from?!’ These ingredients will transform into a gorgeous bouillabaisse inspired broth.
Bouillabaisse is a classic French style fish soup, with a combination of seafood, orange peel, wine, and saffron. However, we’re going to keep things simple and just stick with mouthwatering plump mussels.
This broth is a winner. It has so much depth that it’s going to know your socks off. Spicy, savoury and aromatic. The natural flavours released from the mussels give the broth that wonderful seafood goodness.
Visiting an expensive French or seafood restaurant can wait! All you need to do is decide what you’ll serve the mussels with. I recommend crusty bread, french fries and of course your favourite ice-cold beer or wine.
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Mussels in Bruges Belgium 2012
Devouring buckets of mussels at trendy bars happened here 6 or 7 years ago. There were plenty of bars offering menus dedicated to mussels and, with that, there was an enormous selection of sauces/broth to choose from.
Ordering a bucket of mussels never crossed my mind, but that all changed when I visited Bruges in late 2012.
Bruges is a hauntingly beautiful medieval city in Belgium. I impulsively jumped on a bus from Amsterdam and went there for a day trip. It wasn’t part of my planned itinerary!
As soon as I arrived in Bruges, I was heavily and happily intoxicated by the overpowering smell of Belgium chocolate. It was in the air, everywhere, and I loved it. I thought I had died and gone to heaven.
After treating myself to a large dose of chocolate for breakfast, my body begged me to have something else for lunch. It was insanely hot and, being my lazy self, I choose the nearest cafe out of exhaustion. I scrolled through the menu several times, indecisive about what to order. That was when I glanced up and the answer was right in front of me. Almost everyone had a bucket of mussels, fries and wine on their table.
‘I’ll have what they’re having!’ I’m cringing right now because I actually said those words. My server look slightly annoyed and asked ‘You want everything they are having?’. I think he got even more annoyed when I said I wanted to choose my wine and sauce for the mussels. Anyway, I’ve been a massive fan of the mussels, fries and wine combo since that day!
Mussels are the star ingredient in this bouillabaisse
When I first made this bouillabaisse soup, I used fish, prawns and squid. It was incredibly delicious, and it surprised about how much I enjoyed the broth. It was spicy, flavourful but delicate all at the same time. I knew the soup would go perfectly with mussels and I couldn’t wait to try it out.
So when I remade the bouillabaisse soup I used 2kg (4.5lb) of mussels. Inspired by my trip to Bruges, I served the mussels with fries, wine, and crusty bread. My husband, Tomasi, and my sister, Nara, and I scoffed everything down. I’m honoured to confirm that there were no mussels left behind.
Mussels are high in protein but low in calories. They’re packed with iron, zinc, vitamins A and B12 and other minerals. Thank you mussels for being so delicious and for providing us with all these health benefits!
More crazy delicious shellfish recipes to try:
Classic Oyster Mornay
Oysters with Pomegranate Vinaigrette
Mussel and Saffron Soup
Pork & Clams Stir-fry
Ingredients for French style mussels
Saffron threads – Authentic saffron threads are expensive for just a tiny amount. It’s nicknamed ‘Red Gold’ for a reason! Saffron has a floral, earthy and sweet honey flavour. Supermarkets usually stock saffron near the spice and cooking section.
Mussels – I used Australian Blue mussels that came in a vacuum-sealed bag ready to use. They’re kept alive with ocean water and are cleaned prior to packaging. The only thing I had to do was rinse the mussels out in cold water and leave them in a colander to drain out the water. If you’re using uncleaned mussels, scrub the shells and pull out their beards before cooking.
Chicken stock or broth – I prefer using salt-reduced chicken stock, as I have more control over the sodium level. It’s always better to be under-seasoned than over-seasoned as it’s easier to fix.
How to make French Style Mussels
Step-by-step guide with photos
Heat oil and melt the butter in a large deep frying pan or a saucepan over medium-high heat, then add in the garlic, onion and saffron. Stirring quickly for a minute or until fragrant, but don’t let it burn. Pour in the wine, stirring for a minute or until the alcohol smell disappears.
Pour the stock, and canned tomatoes into the pan, then add in the orange rind, bay leaves, thyme, chilli and sugar. Bring the soup to a boil, then lower heat and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Increase the heat to medium-high and bring the soup to a boil, then add in the mussels and cover for a minute. Uncover and stir the mixture gently. If the mussels haven’t opened, cover the pot and cook for a further 30 seconds. Repeat this once more if most of the mussels haven’t opened, but don’t cook the mussels for over 2 minutes or they will shrink and become rubbery. Have a taste and add more salt or pepper if needed. Serve immediately with crusty bread and don’t forget the French fries!
Leftovers – Allow the mussels and broth to cool completely at room temperature, then transfer into a sealed container and refrigerate. It’ll be good for up to 2 days.
I’ve used a third-party application to calculate the calories and nutritional information, so please use this as an approximate guide only.
Cooking measurements are in Australian standard spoon and cup measurements. For specific details and conversions, visit our Australian Cooking Measurements page.
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Cheers – Cat T
French style mussels
Ingredients
- 2 tsp olive oil
- 30 gm butter
- 2 cloves garlic (minced)
- 1 small onion (finely diced)
- large pinch saffron threads (NOTE 1)
- ½ cup white wine
- 3 cups salt-reduced chicken stock (or broth) (NOTE 2)
- 400 gm canned diced tomatoes
- 3 strips orange rind
- 2 dried bay leaves
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- 2 small red chilli (Bird's eye, sliced thinly)
- 2 tsp sugar
- 1 kg mussels (NOTE 3)
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Heat oil and melt the butter in a large deep frying pan or a saucepan over medium-high heat, then add in the garlic, onion and saffron. Stirring quickly for a minute or until fragrant, but don't let it burn. Pour in the wine, stirring for a minute or until the alcohol smell disappears.
- Pour the stock, and canned tomatoes into the pan, then add in the orange rind, bay leaves, thyme, chilli and sugar. Bring the soup to a boil, then lower heat and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Increase the heat to medium-high and bring the soup to a boil, then add in the mussels and cover for a minute. Uncover and stir the mixture gently. If the mussels haven't opened, cover the pot and cook for a further 30 seconds. Repeat this once more if most of the mussels haven't opened, but don't cook the mussels for over 2 minutes or they will shrink and become rubbery. Have a taste and add more salt or pepper if needed. Serve immediately with crusty bread and don't forget the French fries!
