Moules marinières for mother's day

We're celebrating mother's day a little late - I've come home to spend some time with Mum and Dad in Perth, and we didn't want mum to miss out on the big day.

So I prepared a special meal for her, and mussels are one of her favourites. We spent many holidays in France and it was one of those dishes we had to savour at least once a visit.  This dish is so typically French, those simple flavours of wine and shallots shine through the mussels. Perfection.

I must admit, I think mum's dislike of preparing seafood has always scared me off experimenting with it, but mussels are so simple. The only thing you need to remember is that if they aren't open, don't eat them!

This one took less than 15 minutes to prepare and have on the table, and only requires a handful of ingredients. Hope I've persuaded a few of you to try it.

Ingredients:

1kg mussels
100g unsalted butter
3 shallots, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
200ml dry white wine
1 handful flat leaf parsley, chopped
1 bay leaf

Method:

Prepare the mussels (if necessary - I bought de-bearded, washed ones)
Place half the butter (50g) into a large pan. Once melted, add the shallots, garlic, white wine and the bay leaf and stir until the shallots are translucent.
When the mixture has reached boiling point, add the mussels to the pan. Place the lid on the pan and leave the mussels for about 3 minutes, until the shells are all opened.
Then remove the mussels from the pan with a slated spoon, and add the remainder of the butter and the parsley to the pan and bring up to the boil.
Return the mussels to the pot, and then serve immediately.
Accompany with a glass of white wine and some crusty bread. Et voilà.

Thanks mum for being there for me. Always. xxx