Moules frites is a creamy, delicious mussels and French fries dish native to Belgium. The mussels are steamed on high heat with vegetables and served with mayonnaise.
If you’re looking for something authentic and simple for lunch or dinner, moules frites is your best choice.
Table of Contents
Background and Origin
Moules frites is a traditional dish in Belgium. Due to its popularity, it’s loved in neighboring France, where it got its name.
Near Belgium’s northern coast, mussels were historically cheap and widely available. On the other hand, potatoes were popular across the country, making the duo the perfect choice for a meal. Hence, the beginning of the dish.
Moules frites simply means mussels and fries.
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How to Prepare Prepare Authentic Moules Frites
Key ingredients
- 1 Onions, chopped: an excellent source of fiber. Adding onions to your daily diet improves your heart health, supports digestion, and provides antioxidants.
- 2 tbsp Butter: contains fat-soluble vitamins. It lowers heart attack risk compared to margarine.
- ¼ tsp sea Salt: to taste
- 3 tbsp kosher salt: to taste and clean the mussels.
- 2 sticks celery, chopped: It’s an excellent source of fiber for weight loss and digestion. It has low calories, essential vitamins, and potassium.
- 2 sticks of fennel, chopped: contains plant compounds that support healthy skin. It’s also a good source of breast milk for new mothers. Fennels improve symptoms of anaemia.
- 2 sticks of leeks, chopped: promotes healthy digestion, is good for the bones and heart, and promotes healthy eyes.
- 3 garlic cloves, minced: a natural antibiotic that helps in preventing common cold and flu. It lowers cholesterol and prevents the risk of cancer.
- 1 shallot, chopped: improves heart health, lowers blood sugar, and improves digestion.
- 2 hot peppers, whole: It decreases inflammation and protects your cells against damage.
- Some thyme: a natural herb that may help in preventing coughing.
- 1 kg mussels, washed: Packed with more protein and iron per calorie than a steak fillet, mussels are a powerhouse for muscle development and keeping you full longer. They’re also loaded with vitamins A and B12, giving your skin, eyes, and immune system a healthy boost!
- 500g Maris Piper Potatoes: These creamy potatoes are considered the best potatoes for making chips. They are fluffy in texture and also make the best choice for baking, roasting, mashing, and boiling.
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 tbsp mayonnaise
- Frying oil
- Some parsley
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Instructions for Preparing Moules Frites
- In a big bowl, pour some cold water and add the kosher salt. Soak the mussels for 30 minutes to purge out any dirt from the shells. After washing the mussels in clean water twice or more. Set aside.
- Peel the potatoes and, using a mandolin, cut them into slices. Wash the potatoes under running water until they are clear.
- Soak the potatoes in water and keep them in the fridge for an hour.
- Sauté the onions in the butter for a minute. Add the celery, onion, shallot, leek, fennel, garlic, and hot pepper. Sprinkle salt to taste. At this point, add the thyme and bay leaves. Stir and add the mussels on top of the vegetables.
- Cover the pot and cook on high heat for 5 minutes. Halfway through, open the lid and shake the pot so the vegetables appear at the top and the mussels at the bottom. This ensures the mussels cook evenly.
- Allow it to simmer for a minute, then add the parsley. Turn off the heat and let the mussels blend with the parsley.
- On the other hand, in a separate pan, heat the oil. Remove the potatoes from the cold water and pat dry with a kitchen towel. Fry them at 140 degrees Celsius for 4 to 5 minutes, then at 190 degrees Celsius for another 4 minutes.
- Sieve the fries from the oil and toss with sea salt.
- Serve the moules frites with mayonnaise.
- Enjoy with some beer or wine.
Tips for Preparing Moules Frites
- Before cooking the mussels, tap and observe their reactions. If they open and close upon tapping them, they’re good and alive.
- Always discard any mussels that don’t open after cooking.
- You can season the fries with rosemary salt, Parmigiano, and chives.
- For a customised taste, deglaze the mussels with 200 ml of white wine halfway cooked and crème fraïche before turning the heat off.
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Conclusion
You can make moules frites with the ingredients you have at home. With a few vegetables, potatoes, and mussels, you can prepare the most delicious meal ever.
Enjoy!
Hey, Sedi here, a content writer.
Subjects that interest her greatly are how people, lifestyle, relationships, God, technology, and communication interact, empowering and spreading positive messages. She’s an avid reader and a student of personal weekly workouts.
She holds a master’s degree in media and digital communication management.
When she’s not writing or promoting brands digitally, Sedi is busy advocating for plastic-free earth with her local NGO.
