Before I decided to become a decent home cook, mussels were one of my favorite things to order at a restaurant. They seemed out of reach of the home cook and I took care to mess them up. Oh times have changed! Now I like to shake homemade mussels whenever I have the chance, and these grilled mussels are my recommended way to make them in the summer.
Making grilled mussels is great because you do not have to heat your kitchen! These grilled mussels are served with simple garlic butter in white wine (with lots of garlic) and large pieces of grilled bread.
Serve them as an appetizer or just put the whole pan between you and someone you love and dig into a full meal.
Buying and cleaning mussels
I buy fresh mussels a few times a year but it’s always great to freshen up a bit on what to look for. I love This tutorial is from PEI On how to choose good mussels. In short, make sure they are on ice and check the tag to see when they were picked.
While I have heard different opinions on whether you should throw open mussels once you get them home, I tend to throw them away only as a precaution. Usually it’s no more than a few of the little guys.
To clean the mussels, pass them under cold water and rub the mussels to remove dirt or grime. Then use your fingers to remove the beard from the mess, which is a coarse-like piece that hangs from the flat side of the mess. You can just gently pull it out with your fingers. Not every front may have a beard, but check them all.
Do I need to wash mussels?
Personally, I prefer to wash my mussels quickly before cooking, but it is not 100% necessary if you are in a hurry. To rinse mine, I just add them to a large pot with salted cold water for about 15 minutes, then filter them and they will be much cleaner than if you move them straight from cleaning to cooking.
There is no rule in this matter, but if you have time I recommend washing them quickly.
How to roast mussels
Once you have cleaned mussels, it is easy to roast them! I recommend adding all the mussels to a cast iron skillet with about 1/2 cup of white wine to create some steam. I used about 1 1/2 pounds of mussels but you can use up to 3 pounds probably in one pan. Cover the pan well with foil and place it on the grill over medium-high heat. (I used a gas grill for this version, but you can also use a charcoal grill.)
Cook the mussels for 8-10 minutes without peeking and they should open nicely and be cooked at this point.
Once they are cooked, you can pour the butter sauce directly over them or serve on the side.
How to make garlic garlic sauce
This is a very easy sauce to make and goes well with any shellfish, honestly including oysters if you want to replace those with mussels in this recipe.
I like to add the white wine to a small pot over low heat with the garlic sliced. Cook it for a few minutes so that the garlic begins to soften. Then mix in all the butter and mix the sauce into the emulsion.
Once the sauce is smooth it can be removed from the heat and add the fresh parsley. It’s so good!
What to serve with these grilled mussels
For my money, all I need is a good piece of grilled and crispy bread to soak up all the delicious soup from the mussels.
However, it would also be a great idea to serve these mussels with pasta like spaghetti (try this spaghetti with crispy chili) or even seafood risotto.
If you were to serve these as an appetizer, they would go well with any grilled protein as a main or really good pasta like carbonara or something similar.
Heating residue
Mole residues are not ideal in my opinion. They lose their flavor pretty quickly so if you have leftovers I would transfer them straight to the fridge and come up with a plan for them within a day or two.
Personally, I heat the mussels gently with a little fresh butter in a pan over low heat. You can also fold them into pasta or chop them and use them in soups.
A recipe for mussels on my grill
Grilled mussels with garlic butter sauce
By Nick
- presenter:
- Serves 4
- Preparation time:
- Cooking time:
- Total time:
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These grilled mussels are the perfect summer meal. They are super easy to make, and all you need is mussels, fresh herbs, garlic and lemon for this dish!
Component
1 1 / 2-2 pounds fresh, cleaned mussels
1 glass of white wine, divided
1/3 cup salted butter
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons fresh, ground parsley
Crusty bread, for serving
Instructions
- Thoroughly clean mussels by gently scrubbing under cold water and removing the “beard” from the flat end of the mussels. Not all mussels will have one, but if you can feel one then gently pull it out. Throw open mussels. Alternatively, rinse mussels with cold salt water for 15 minutes.
- Heat the grill to medium-high heat. Add mussels to a large cast iron skillet along with 1/2 cup white wine. It’s okay if they pile up. Cover with foil and place on the grill. Cook for 8-10 minutes.
- Meanwhile add white wine to a small pot over low heat. Add ground garlic and cook for 2-3 minutes. Then add butter and stir until the sauce comes together. Add lemon juice and remove from the heat. Add fresh parsley.
- Pour butter sauce over the mussels or serve on the side with crispy bread.
