Moules Marinières Is A Briny, Brilliant Way To Do Shellfish

A recipe from respected food writer Ginette Mathiot, this quick-to-throw-together dish offers a spin on mussels with French flair (and it’s even better with pommes frites).

Mussels can be foraged, but those that are sold are cultivated. There are two principal methods used regionally. The first is moules de bouchot, where they are grown on posts planted in the sand, alternatively covered and uncovered by the tide. In the Mediterranean, mussels of a different variety grow on hanging ropes and are constantly submerged, usually yielding larger specimens. The first kind tends to be more appropriate for the classic, basic moules marinières, which are ideally served with fries. Try to buy mussels when they are in season (this will change depending on where they come from).

Recipe from Classic French Recipes by Ginette Mathiot, $80, published by Phaidon, available March 21.

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