Mussels in White Wine and Cream Sauce

To prepare mussels in white wine and cream sauce, start with the aromatic herbs: rinse them well and dry them. Then remove the thyme and rosemary leaves from the stems 1 and chop them finely, along with the sage 2. Also, finely chop the parsley and set it aside 3.

Now peel and finely chop the onion 4. Move on to the untreated lemon: grate the zest and collect it in a small bowl 5. Squeeze it to obtain the juice 6: set aside the juice and zest.

At this point, focus on cleaning the mussels (for more details, consult our cooking school: How to clean mussels). Rinse the shellfish well under plenty of fresh running water 7 and remove the beard protruding from the mussel shells 8. With the help of a small knife, remove encrustations and barnacles from the shell and for better cleaning, scrub the shell with a steel wool pad to remove remaining impurities 9.

Now take a high-sided non-stick pot and melt 3 tablespoons of butter 10 over very low heat. When melted, add the garlic 11 and the onion 12.

When the garlic is golden, remove it 13. Deglaze with the white wine 14 and add the lemon juice 15.

Flavor with the lemon zest 16. Add the chopped sage, rosemary, and thyme 17, mixing the ingredients well. Finally, add the mussels 18.

Cover with a lid 19 and let them cook over low heat for 3-4 minutes. When the mussels have opened, use a slotted spoon to transfer them to a bowl 20 and open some of them 21, removing the shells.

Reduce the cooking liquid 22 and add the remaining 1 tablespoon of butter 23 to melt. Transfer a ladle of the cooking liquid to a large bowl where you will pour in the flour gradually, continuing to whisk with a hand whisk to create a homogeneous and smooth mixture 24.

Transfer it back to the pot while continuing to mix the ingredients to prevent lumps from forming 25: let it thicken over very low heat for 2-3 minutes. Then add the cream 26, continuing to whisk. Finally, pour the mussels back into the pot 27.

Mix them well with the cooking liquid 28 and let them absorb the flavor by heating over low heat for 3-4 minutes. Flavor with the chopped parsley 29, mixing it well with the other ingredients and turn off the heat. Finally, adjust the salt and pepper. Now plate the mussels in white wine and cream sauce and enjoy them while still hot 30!