Butter Garlic Mussels in White Wine Cream Sauce

These Butter Garlic Mussels in White Wine Cream Sauce is made with mussels, butter, garlic cloves, onion, white wine, heavy cream, lemon, and parsley.

This might be one of my favorite summer dishes especially if you down it with a nice dry white wine. This is an exceptionally light meal and pairs well with a light, lemon pasta. To debeard, you need to grab the hair (some may have it and some don’t) that can be found between the shells. Pull them off. The best way to clean the mussels is to let them soak in fresh, salted cold water for 20 minutes to 3 hours. The mussels will breathe the water and eject any salt or debris there might be inside. After soaking them, run them under cold water and with a brush, scrub each shell to get any dirt left on them.

If you love this recipe, you need to try my Mussels Marinara or my Clams in White Wine Recipe.

Jump to:

• Ingredients
• Instructions
• Substitutions
• Variations
• Equipment
• Storage
• Top tip
• Butter Garlic Mussels in White Wine Cream Sauce
• Food safety

Ingredients

• Mussels
• Butter
• Garlic
• Onion
• White wine
• Heavy cream
• Lemons
• Parsley

See recipe card for quantities.

Instructions

In a deep lidded saucepan on medium heat, add the butter and wait for it to melt.

Add the onion and cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Toss in the garlic and cook until fragrant, about one minute.

Pour in the white wine, cream and lemon juice and wait for it to boil.

Add the mussels and lime wedges. Stir, cover and cook for 10 minutes, until the mussels open.

Remove from heat and toss any mussels that haven’t opened. Garnish with parsley and extra lemon juice, if needed.

Hint: Toss any mussels that haven't opened. This means they died before the cooking process.

Substitutions

Mussels: I like to put my mussels in a bowl of cold salted water to irritate the mussels. After 30 minutes, I individually scrub and debeard each mussel.

Butter: I used salted stick butter although you can use unsalted butter and control the salt level yourself.

Garlic: I would recommend using fresh garlic but minced garlic from a jar works as well.

Onions: I used white onions, although yellow works as well.

White Wine: I would recommend a cheap dry white wine - definitely not sweet wine.

Parsley: I love garnishing all my plates. The parsley also adds to the flavor of each mussel. I chopped them up and added them at the end for a touch of color and flavor.

Variations

Cooking is a chance to be creative! Have fun with it and feel free to make your own variation.

• Spicy - add chili pepper flakes while cooking to imbue heat into the dish.
• Deluxe - Try my Mussels Marinara for a more tomato based dish.
• Kid friendly - Serve the mussels on butter pasta.

Check out my Linguini with Frutti Di Mare and my Clams Spaghetti with White Wine.

Equipment

Equipment can have a big impact on how a recipe turns out. Stone bakeware takes longer to heat up than metal pans, and also retain heat for longer, which could make the recipe more watery, or burnt on the outsides.

I love using my Caraway pots, pans and baking sheets for best quality. Get yourself a discount by clicking here!

Storage

This will be good in the refrigerator for 2-3 days.

These ingredients for Butter Garlic Mussels in White Wine Cream Sauce don't stand up well to freezing.

Top tip

I like to put my mussels in a bowl of cold salted water to irritate the mussels. After 30 minutes, I individually scrub and debeard each mussel.

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Food safety

• Cook to a minimum temperature of 165 °F (74 °C)
• Do not use the same utensils on cooked food, that previously touched raw meat
• Wash hands after touching raw meat
• Don't leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods
• Never leave cooking food unattended
• Use oils with high smoking point to avoid harmful compounds
• Always have good ventilation when using a gas stove

See more guidelines at USDA.gov.