Mouclade Charentaise is a French steamed mussel dish traditional to the Charente region of France. It’s unique in that it uses not only white wine in the broth, but Pineau des Charentes and Cognac as well – both liqours originating from this region. Made extra rich with cream, egg yolk, curry powder and saffron, Mouclade Charentaise is a particularly elegant way to serve steamed mussels. Served with Sauvignon Blanc and lots of crusty French bread.
What makes Mouclade Charentaise different than other mussels dishes
There is a simple equation for recipes for steamed mussels, usually involving white wine, garlic and shallot, olive oil or butter, and a blend of aromatic herbs and seasonings. It’s hard to mess up, easy and delicious, and each take on mussels is always best served with copious amount of fresh bread for the remaining sauces.
Mouclade Charentaise is a regional version from the Charente (or Charente-Maritime) region of France. This region is of course close to my heart as this is where Cognac, the village I lived in for 6 months before moving to Paris, is situated.
As a wine (and of course, Cognac) producing region, this take on steamed mussels is particularly boozy. But don’t panic, the alcohol of course cooks out. Not only does the sauce contain white wine, but also Pineau des Charentes AND Cognac. We’re mixing liquors here, people!
Pineau des Charentes (pictured above, left) is the lesser-known regional fortified wine made from unfermented wine-variety grape juice and distilled wine. It’s sweeter and great as an aperitif – I also actually love it as a spritz.
The sauce is also quite rich, with cream, egg yolk, as well as curry powder and saffron.
Cooking and Presentation of Mouclade Charentaise
Besides the regional and boozy blend that the mussels are cooked in, this traditional dish is also a bit different from other steamed mussel recipes because of its presentation.
After the mussels are steamed, the empty half of the opened shell is removed. The remaining shells with the mussels attached are layered in a serving dish that the sauce is eventually poured over.
It’s a bit of a pain, but the result is really stunning. Worth it for a date night or special occasion but if you can’t be bothered, you can certainly leave them whole. Simply serve them in a bowl with the broth, like in my other recipe for Steamed Mussels with Swiss Chard, Tomato, and White Wine.
Recommended Wine Pairing: Sauvignon Blanc
A regional white or whatever you used to steam the mussels is perfect here. Since you’ll be cooking with it, this is not the place to splurge. I used a Sauvignon Blanc recommended to me by one of the wine shops near my place in Paris, it was 12 euros, good level of minerality, and worked really well here.
A note on leftovers
Unless I am cooking for 4+ people, I tend to have leftover mussels. Usually there are too many, maybe there are some that aren’t big enough or not as “pretty” (especially for this particular recipe where presentation counts), or maybe they already fell off their shell or broke, whatever. But there are some great ways to use leftover mussels whether it’s in pasta or a cold seafood salad. You can remove them from their shells if needed and store them in the fridge for 1-2 days.
Traditional French Mouclade Charentaise
Traditional steamed mussels dish from the Charente region of France, using Pineau des Charentes and Cognac along with curry powder and cream to make a rich sauce.
- Total Time1 hour 15 minutes
- Yield4 servings 1x
Ingredients
- 2 kg mussels “Bouchot”
- 4–5 shallots, finely diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 400 ml of dry white wine
- 150 ml of white Pineau des Charentes
- 30 ml of Cognac
- 2 egg yolks
- 150 ml heavy cream
- 1 tablespoon butter
- Up to 1/4 teaspoon of curry powder
- Black pepper
- Optional: Up to 1/8 teaspoon Saffron
- Garnish: fresh Parsley
Instructions
1. Rinse and de-beard mussels.
2. In a large pot, melt the butter over medium/medium-low heat and add in the shallots. Cook the shallots until soft but do not brown. Add in the garlic for just a minute until aromatic, but without browning.
3. Add 200 ml of the dry white wine and bring to a boil. Add in the mussels and cover the pot with a lid. Allow mussels to cook for 2-4 minutes, until they open.
4. Remove the mussels using a slotted spoon and remove the half of the shell that the mussel is not attached to. Note: this part can be optional, but traditional Mouclade Charentaise is plated with mussels on the half shell and layered in a dish. You can save time by keeping them whole.
5. Layer the mussels on the half shell in an oven-safe baking dish that will also be used for serving. You want it to be oven-safe in case you want to briefly reheat in the oven (on a very low, warm setting!). Otherwise, you can cover the dish to keep them warm longer.
6. Back to the pot. Add the remaining 200 ml of dry white wine, the Pineau des Charentes, and the Cognac to the pot and bring to a boil, reducing by 1/3.
7. Add the curry powder, saffron, and black pepper. Bring down to medium-low heat.
8. Whisk together the heavy cream and the egg yolks until smooth and even consistency.
9. Once the pot has reached a medium-low temperate, whisk in the egg yolk and cream mixture. You do not want to add this while the broth is boiling or too hot so as to not cook the egg yolks.
10. Finally, pour the sauce over the mussels in the dish.
11. Garnish with fresh parsley, ground black pepper, and serve with ample crusty bread.
Notes
- Depending on how you choose to plate the mussels (whole or on the half-shell), you can also add the mussels back into the broth and allow them to reheat for just a minute on medium-low temperature, after step 8. You can then serve directly from the pot into individual bowls or pour them along with the broth into a large serving dish and serve family-style.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
Sydney is a 31-year old American living in Paris. Originally from Pittsburgh, she has also lived in Milan and Cognac. 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 bars, and discovering new restaurants.
Fantastic photos, Sydney! Great food blog!