ellsworth_mussels_garance-dore

Ellsworth’s Mussels

8 years ago by

Photos

Erik Melvin

I may not be French, but a bowl of mussels makes me feel a bit more like a Parisian (although I believe the dish originated in Begium). Before I moved to New York, I don’t think I’d even tried mussels – seen them on the beaches in California , yes, eaten them – no.

Its no surprise then I found a few Americans in Paris who created one of my favorite renditions yet at Ellsworth. So fragrant and light, with its mix of white wine, smoked potato, beetroot, garlic and lemon – its a dish perfect for anytime of year, especially desirable with a side of fresh bread.

The surprisingly short list of straightforward ingredients makes me feel confident this is a dish that will be made time and again. So here for you now, a delicious recipe for a real classic : mussels!

Mussels with White Wine, Garlic, Smoked Potato
Hannah Kowalenko, Chef at Ellsworth

Yield: 4 portions for an appetizer

1kg mussels (cleaned)
50g butter
10 g roasted garlic, mashed
220g white wine
150g water
1 large potato
10g sherry vinegar
15g Chopped parsley
1/2 lemon
Salt

Ellsworth madder dore Photo

 

1. Peel the potato and dice it into small cubes. Cover potatoes in water in a pot and add a bit of salt, bring to a boil just until potatoes are cooked.

2. Drain the potatoes and smoke in a smoker with wood chips. If you don’t have a smoker you can create a makeshift smoker, line a pan with aluminum foil. Add a layer of wet wood chips and put a perforated pan on top of it. Add potatoes to the perforated pan and cover with a lid. Put it on the stovetop on medium heat until you see smoke coming out the sides, let cook for 2 minutes to allow smoke to infuse into the potatoes.

Remove potatoes from the smoker and toss in sherry vinegar. Check seasoning and add salt if necessary.

3. To cook mussels, melt butter in a large pan on high heat. Add garlic and swirl around to incorporate. Add mussels to the pan and stir for 1 minute to cover them in the butter and garlic.
4. Add water and white wine to pan, and cover with a lid, steam for 2-3 minutes until the mussels open. Add potatoes, cook for another 30 seconds.

5. Ladle mussels into bowls with potatoes and broth, and garnish with parsley and a squeeze of fresh lemon juice. Eat with bread to soak up the liquid.

Ellsworth madder dore Photo

 

 

ellsworth_garance-dore_4_

ellsworth garance dore photo

Enjoy your meal!

Dish Above is shown bream served with radish, fennel, pepper, basil and citrus.

Ellsworth  |  34, rue de Richelieu 75001 Paris, France

17 comments

Add yours
  • That looks so good!

  • There’s a saying that you’re supposed to eat mussels only in months that end in “er”–so September to December. The cafés in Brussels put up signs, similar to the beaujolas nouveau, saying “les moules sont arrivées!” And people use an empty shell like tweezers to pick the mussels out of the other shells–how you can tell the tourists from the locals.

  • One of our favorites! So quick and easy if you have good, fresh mussels, though we have them over pasta rather than with potatoes. Looking forward to trying this version! Also, gorgeous photos by Erik (as usual) —and I’ll take that faucet with tiles and an order of the fish, please.

  • Here are the recipe amounts converted for an American Cook: 2.2 lbs mussels (cleaned), 1/4 cup butter, 2 bulbs roasted garlic, mashed 1 cup white wine, 2/3 cup water, 1 large potato, 1/8 cup sherry vinegar, 1/8 cup Chopped parsley, 1/2 lemon, Salt
    I’m looking forward to cooking this tonight!

  • Ana @Champagnegirlsabouttown April, 16 2016, 4:30 / Reply

    Sometimes at the start of the holidays we sail to St Malo in Brittany and stop for dinner in a small restaurants on marina. Mussels and good white wine is for me one of the best simple meals. I’m looking forward to trying this version!
    Ana
    http://www.champagnegirlsabouttown.co.uk

  • Sorry but it’s mostly very Brussels much more than Paris!!!!! the famous place is Léon de Bruxelles..they open places in Paris but they are From Brussels!!!
    it looks like a nice place i will check this next time i am in Paris..
    xoxo
    Yael Guetta

    http://www.ftwwl.com

  • Looks delicioius!
    Will try it, for sure! Thanks for this lovely recipe!
    Xxx

    Julie, Petite and So What?

  • I just love mussels especially when on holiday on one of the Greek islands! Perhaps I should try cooking them on my own this time! They really look yummy!

  • Not sure if the recipe was written by someone who doesn’t speak English, but some parts of it make no sense. Maybe you could edit?

  • Hi Kat,
    We are having technical problems with the site that are causing errors in our translations. It will be fixed and back to normal soon!
    x Emily

  • This particular post has not been edited at all! There are misspelled words, weird capitalizing of words, etc. It is hard to read past the writing to get to the delicious looking recipe!

  • Hi Katie,
    We are having some technical problems with the site, causing our translations to be changed. It will be fixed soon!
    x Emily

  • Great photos ;)

    ______________________
    PERSONAL STYLE BLOG
    http://evdaily.blogspot.com

  • vanessa la belge April, 18 2016, 4:12 / Reply

    Bien sûr que ce plat est belge !!! Moules-frites (et manger ces dernières avec la coquille d’une moule vide), une tradition ! :)

  • Suzanne April, 20 2016, 7:01 / Reply

    Super article ! Les moules un vrai délice.

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