A nutrient-dense dish that combines mussels, a traditional sacred food, with sausage, parsley, and garlic served with tallow chips.
Combining seafood and meat is a passion of mine.
This unique mussels recipe combine sausage with herbs and white wine is great for a quick lunch.
It also makes for an impressive appetizer or even a dinner entree when accompanied by chips fried in beef tallow or goose fat.
Oh my goodness, the homemade chips!
Mussels: A Traditional Sacred Food
Mussels are a nutrient-dense food that can feed you and your family nicely on a budget, all the while feeling rather fancy and elegant.
In my house we call it cheap and cheerful!
Two pounds of fresh mussels that will feed four adults typically costs about $10.
Preparation Tip
If the source of your mussels is a pristine body of water, there is no need to cut off the beards before preparation.
The beards can be very nutritious (they likely contain Vitamin K2 if yellow or even orange), but they are too tough and fibrous to eat unless from very clean waters.
The color tells the tale. If they are brown, cut them off.
Love seafood dishes? Try these garlic and parmesan broiled oysters on the half shell!
Mussels and Sausage in Garlic and Parsley
A nutrient-dense dish that combines mussels, a traditional sacred food, with sausage, parsley, and garlic served with tallow chips.
Ingredients
- 1 pound fresh mussels washed with brown beards removed, preferably locally sourced
- 4 slices thick Italian sausage or salami, cut into quarters
- 2 large cloves garlic sliced thinly
- 1/2 bunch fresh parsley roughly chopped
- 1/2 cup white wine sauvignon blanc is excellent
- 4 Tbsp butter preferably grassfed
- Tallow chips optional
Instructions
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Slice the garlic and let stand on a plate for about 15 minutes. This allows time for the maximum amount of nutritious sulfur compounds like allicin to form.
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Place saute pan on a medium to high flame.
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Add 1 Tbsp butter to pan and melt.
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When butter has stopped foaming, add sausage and saute for 2 minutes.
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Add 1/2 the sliced garlic and saute for 2 more minutes.
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Add mussels and saute, getting the mussels coated in butter, salami and garlic (another 2 minutes or so).
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When the mussels open, add the 1/2 cup of wine and cover for 3 minutes.
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Uncover and check to see if all the mussels have opened (when a mussels holds tight and does not give up its shell it is not fit to eat. please do not pry it open).
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Remove mussels from the pan with tongs and place in a clean bowl.
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To the boiling liquid, add the rest of the garlic, 3 Tbsp of butter, and the chopped parsley and allow to reduce for a minute or two.
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Put the mussels back into the liquid to incorporate all flavors.
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Using tongs put the mussels back in the bowl, pour the broth with sausage over the top and serve.
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Serve with optional tallow chips.
Recipe Notes
Delicious Variations!
1. Use bacon lardons (or pancetta or guanciale) instead of sausage.
– saute bacon lardons in medium – high pan to render fat.
– remove the cooked bacon and hold.
– add garlic to the bacon fat, then the mussels, saute and hit with wine.
– follow the above instructions but put the bacon back in when the mussels go back in before serving.
2. Use mixed fresh herbs instead of just parsley.
– roughly chop parsley, cilantro, basil and chives
3. Use coconut milk instead of butter and wine
– saute the sausage, garlic and mussels in coconut oil.
– add 1 cup coconut milk and a few thin slices of fresh ginger.
– throw in a kefir lime leaf for good measure (available at most Asian markets).
– add chopped cilantro and whole leaves of purple thai basil (if available) at the end.
Is it possible to cook this recipe with an alternative to sausages and bacon? I am cooking for a vegetarian couple (fish and sea food is OK). Non-meat sausages just won’t cut it, I find they taste like cardboard. I really like the idea of the white wine, garlic and parsley sauce.
Are farmed mussels ok? In Europe, I read that it’s virtually impossible to find wild mussels.
Aren’t mussels bottom feeders? I stopped eating all shellfish because of this. I was surprised to see shellfish in WP recipes. Do you know why Sarah?
Enjoy your blog!
Where do you get local mussels??!!!! yum!
How many servings is this supposed to be?
a pound will make 2 good sized portions or 3 smaller servings.
Hi Sarah, My nutritionist tells me not eat any pork because of worms and viruses, so I was surprised to see you post a recipe including bacon fat and sausage.
Is this a myth? Does the worms or viruses get killed when cooking? I really love bacon and pork of all kinds and I really miss it!
Thanks for your imput!
Sounds incredible. On my to do list now 😉
Mussels are not budget conscious for me in the landlocked state of Colorado and that’s too bad.
Mussels and Sausage in White Wine, Garlic and Parsley http://t.co/PJWtXxbS