Mussels are an excellent blank canvas for highlighting seasonal produce – whatever the season might be. With a base of shallot, butter, olive oil, and white wine, adding in Swiss chard and tomato puts some of that summer produce to good use. Served with warm baguette fresh from the boulangerie and a chilled glass of Muscadet, these “moules avec blette et tomate” are a delicious French-inspired dish for the start of summer.
French Moules Frites Gets a Summer Upgrade with Chard & Tomato
In France, you’ll often find moules frites at a typical French restaurant. It’s a cozy combo typical to the north of France, with the moules, or mussels, served steamed in a warm, garlicky white wine broth. Of course, the best part of this dish is soaking up the leftover broth with fresh baguette until your stomach is bursting from being too full.
Mussels in a white wine broth is a perfect blank canvas for sneaking in any produce you have on hand. As such, it’s a great foundation for crafting a seasonal dish any time of year.
Right now in the markets around Paris, I’m seeing plenty of blette, or Swiss chard. Chard is one of those vegetables you buy that – let’s be honest – may go to waste in your fridge rather quickly. While you definitely get a bang for your buck, sometimes you lack inspiration for what to do with it all. I’ve been there, and I’ve got the answer for you right here.
Keeping that foundation of butter, shallot, garlic, olive oil, and white wine, toss in chard and cherry tomatoes for a delicious, savory broth with some crunchy leafy greens and bursts of tomato juiciness (this makes the remaining broth that much better!).
Muscadet from the Loire Valley
While many dry white wines will work well for steaming mussels, I opted for a bright and mineral Muscadet from the Loire Valley.
I’ve said it before but it’s worth repeating – don’t splurge on a wine if you’re going to cook with it! There’s no sense in boiling money away in a pot on the stove. That being said, when I’m going to be cooking and drinking with the same wine I like to find a nice balance between quality and price.
A very structured and mineral wine, this Muscadet is perfect for pairing with any shellfish dish, and I found it to work beautifully with the mussels. Served chilled!
Mussels with Chard & Tomato in White Wine Broth
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 2 servings 1x
Description
Steamed mussels in a garlicky white wine broth with Swiss chard and cherry tomatoes. Served with warm baguette fresh from the boulangerie and a chilled glass of Muscadet, these “moules avec blette et tomate” are a delicious French-inspired dish for the start of summer.
Ingredients
- 1 kg (or 2 lbs) mussels, cleaned and debearded
- 15 g (or 1 tbsp) butter
- Olive oil
- 1 shallot
- 2 cloves of garlic
- A large handful of Swiss chard, torn into medium-sized pieces
- Cherry tomatoes (any fresh tomato will do), as many as you wish
- ~200 ml (or 1 cup) of dry white wine
- Fresh baguette, for serving
Instructions
- Sautée the chopped shallot in the butter in a large pot over medium. Let it cook for a few minutes until tender.
- Stir in the two gloves of minced garlic, adding a drizzle of olive oil as well, letting it cook for just a minute or before it starts to brown.
- Mix in the the chopped swiss chard and cherry tomatoes to the pot with a little dash of salt. Add a drizzle of more olive oil if needed.
- Add the mussels and pour in the white wine. Cover the pot and allow the mussels to steam. You’ll know they’re done when they are all open, maybe about 5 minutes.
- Give everything a good stir to coat the mussels in the broth before transferring to a large serving bowl and garnish with fresh parsley and some lemon zest.
- Serve alongside fresh baguette and a chilled glass of white wine like Muscadet.
Notes
This recipe can be a blank canvas for using a variety of seasonal produce. If you have corn, tomatoes, leeks, or other ingredients you want to make use of you can experiment with different combinations. Hard to go wrong!
I often eye-ball the quantities here, making it an even easier recipe as you don’t have to worry about measurements. Once you get a feel for making steamed mussels the first few times you’ll be able to sense how much of each ingredient you want to use.
Sydney is a 29-year old American living between France and Italy. She has a WSET Level 2 certification in wine, along with a degree in environmental engineering and an MBA. She loves exploring local farmer’s markets, haunting her favorite wine bar, and discovering new restaurants.
