Moules Marinières

Mussels Steamed in Wine

Belgians love their seafood, especially steamed mussels—a bistro classic. Have plenty of crusty bread on hand for soaking up the delicious broth.

Instructions

Scrub mussels well and remove beards. Finely chop onion, celery, and carrot. In a 6- to 8-quart heavy kettle cook vegetables in butter with salt to taste, covered, over moderately low heat, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add wine, thyme, and mussels and steam mussels over high heat, stirring once, until they open, 4 to 8 minutes. (Discard any unopened mussels.)

Sprinkle mussels with parsley and serve with broth. Serves 4 as a main course.