Moules poulettes recipe

A richer form of moules marinières, due to the egg yolks (which are mixed with the cream). Be careful not to let the yolks get too hot or you’ll have a scrambled sauce on your hands. You get bacon in this version, too.

Prep time: 20 minutes | Cooking time: 25 minutes

SERVES

Four

INGREDIENTS

• 2kg mussels

• 10g butter

• 150g bacon lardons

• 4 shallots, finely chopped

• 1 garlic clove, finely chopped

• 3 tbsp Calvados

• 400ml dry white wine

• 200ml double cream

• 2 egg yolks

• 1 tbsp finely chopped flat-leaf parsley

METHOD

1. Clean the mussels in plenty of cold water, pulling off any beards you see and scrubbing the shells. Tap each mussel on the side of the sink and throw away any that don’t close.

2. Melt the butter in a large, deep saucepan and sauté the bacon until golden. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside. Add the shallots and cook for about 4 minutes until they’re soft, then add the garlic and cook for another minute. Add the Calvados and let it reduce to almost nothing, then add the wine and bring to the boil.

3. Add the mussels, cover with a lid, turn the heat down to medium and cook the mussels, shaking the pan a couple of times, for 5-6 minutes, or until the shells have opened.

4. Strain the mussels, collecting the cooking juices in a bowl. Discard any mussels that haven’t opened and put the rest back in the saucepan. You can leave them as they are or remove the top shell so you’re just left with the shell that contains the mussel. Cover to keep warm.

5. Strain the mussel cooking liquor through a sieve lined with muslin to get rid of any sand or grit. Put these juices into a medium saucepan. Add the cream. Bring to a boil and simmer for about 5 minutes or until the juices taste good – neither weak, nor too strong and salty.

6. Put the egg yolks into a bowl and gradually add a small ladleful of the cream mixture. Stir together then gradually add this to the juices in the saucepan. Heat, without boiling, stirring all the time – if the mixture boils the eggs will scramble. The juices will thicken slightly because of the egg yolks. Add the bacon lardons from earlier, pour the sauce over the mussels and gently warm through. Throw in the parsley, stir and serve.