Homemade Moules-Frites Recipe
By Alina Avery
Moule-frites is just a fancy French/Belgian way of saying “mussels and french fries”. During an excursion to Whole Foods (we tried out the new one in InkBlock and omg it’s enormous) we discovered some Maine mussels and thought, well why not?
We looked up a recipe for a white wine broth that seemed reasonable and bought a regular old potato for frying.
For the mussels:
Ingredients:
- 2/3 bottle dry white wine (we used the Three Wishes Pinot Grigio from Whole Foods because it’s about $3)
- 4-6 tablespoons butter
- One onion
- 4 cloves garlic
- Dry and fresh herbs to taste (we used fresh basil and dried cilantro because… well, that’s what we had)
- 1 pound fresh live mussels
Bring the wine to a simmer with the butter, onion, garlic and herbs. Once bubbling, add the mussels. Cover and steam 5-10 minutes or until they open up. Remember – don’t eat the ones that are difficult to open!
For the fries:
Ingredients:
- One large potato
- 1 cup flour
- Paprika
- Garlic powder
- Salt
- 1/2 – 1 cup water
- 1 cup oil for frying
Cut the potato into fries. I chose to leave ours unpeeled for a more rustic look. Put them in a bowl with cold water so they don’t turn brown while you prepare the rest of the recipe.
Heat the oil in a large pan. While the oil is heating, stir or sift together the flour, salt, and seasonings. I went pretty heavy with the garlic but just a sprinkle of paprika. It’s really up to you. Gradually add water and stir until the batter is liquid, like pancake batter. When the oil is hot, dip the fries in the batter and add them to the pan one at a time so they don’t touch. Let cook until golden brown and then remove, draining on paper towels.
Serve traditionally with mayonnaise and Stella Artois, or like an American, with ketchup and Sam Adams. Don’t forget a large bowl to collect the shells!
This was a super easy and delicious recipe and way more affordable than ordering moules-frites in a restaurant. It was a great Sunday lunch, but would also make a fun dinner for two or even for having guests over. Have you made moules-frites? So good!
