How to Cook Moules Frites - Valentine Warner and Kenny Atkinson

mussels

🥗Healthier: clams

💰Cheaper: canned mussels

Canned mussels are more affordable and easy to find.

butter

🥗Healthier: olive oil

💰Cheaper: margarine

Olive oil is healthier and adds a different flavor.

white wine

🥗Healthier: chicken broth

💰Cheaper: apple cider vinegar

Chicken broth is lower in calories, while vinegar adds acidity.

mayonnaise

🥗Healthier: Greek yogurt

💰Cheaper: sour cream

Greek yogurt is lower in calories and adds creaminess.

Prepare the mussels by removing the beards and tapping them to check if they are alive; if they close, they are good.

Toast about 1 teaspoon of black mustard seeds in a pan until they start popping.

Crack open about 8 cardamom pods to remove the seeds.

Add the toasted mustard seeds and a couple of garlic cloves to a pestle and mortar, along with salt and black pepper, and grind them up.

Mix in about 2 teaspoons of tomato puree and a little Dijon mustard, then add sugar for sweetness and stir well.

Melt ghee in a pan and add finely diced shallots, sweating them down without coloring.

Add fresh curry leaves, about 1 teaspoon of turmeric, and 2 teaspoons of curry powder to the shallots and mix well.

Transfer the cooked shallots and spices to the pestle and mortar and combine.

Return the mixture to the pan and add flour to thicken the sauce.

Slice potatoes into thin chips and soak them in cold water to remove starch.

Make mayonnaise by whisking together 3 egg yolks, a tablespoon of white wine vinegar, and a good dollop of English mustard.

Gradually add rapeseed oil while whisking until emulsified, then season with ground white pepper and add Yorkshire mustard to taste.

Finely dice fennel and add it to a pan with garlic and shallots in rapeseed oil, sweating them down without coloring.

Add a splash of Pernod and white wine to the fennel mixture and let it cook.

Bring a pot of cold water with the chips to a boil, simmer for about 2 minutes, then turn off the heat and let them cool in the water.

Cooking Techniques

Equipment Needed

Spice Level:

Dietary

Allergens