Ingredients

  • 1kg live mussels
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil 1 onion, finely chopped
  • 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped 150ml white wine
  • 2 sprigs of thyme 150ml double cream
  • Small bunch of flat-leaf parsley, leaves picked and chopped
  • Crusty bread, to serve

Method

Rinse the mussels thoroughly under plenty of running water and pull off the stringy beards, throwing away any broken shells and any that don’t close tightly when you tap them.

Take a large heavy-based pan with a snug-fitting lid and heat the olive oil. Add the onion and garlic and cook over low heat for about 5 minutes until soft. Pour in the wine and as it boils and the alcohol burns off, add the mussels and thyme. Cover and let the mussels steam for 3–4 minutes. They are ready when the shells have opened. Add the cream and cook for 1 minute more.

Scatter with parsley and serve immediately with crusty bread, remembering to discard any mussels that haven’t opened.

Ingredients

  • 1kg live mussels
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil 1 onion, finely chopped
  • 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped 150ml white wine
  • 2 sprigs of thyme 150ml double cream
  • Small bunch of flat-leaf parsley, leaves picked and chopped
  • Crusty bread, to serve

Method

Rinse the mussels thoroughly under plenty of running water and pull off the stringy beards, throwing away any broken shells and any that don’t close tightly when you tap them.

Take a large heavy-based pan with a snug-fitting lid and heat the olive oil. Add the onion and garlic and cook over low heat for about 5 minutes until soft. Pour in the wine and as it boils and the alcohol burns off, add the mussels and thyme. Cover and let the mussels steam for 3–4 minutes. They are ready when the shells have opened. Add the cream and cook for 1 minute more.

Scatter with parsley and serve immediately with crusty bread, remembering to discard any mussels that haven’t opened.

FrenchAdventure New V1

James Martin’s French Adventure

“Some thirty years since Floyd on France first screened, the chance to follow in his footsteps and, to return to the places that have shaped my own life and career was too good to resist. I hope this book will give you a small taste of what I learnt and the things I discovered on my French adventure, and that you’ll enjoy the trip as much as I did!”
- James