Mouclade - a shellfish dish of the Ile de Re type
Time
Preparation time: 20 min.
Cooking or baking time: 15 min.
Total preparation time: 35 min.
I have come to know and love this delicious mussel dish in France on the Ile de Ré. It's easy to do, but it takes some time. The clams are served in a creamy white wine sauce with saffron.
ingredients
1 kg of shells per person. A huge pot, three large bowls, a large sieve and a 4-liter pot. A large bunch of greens (leek, carrot, celery, onion) sea salt - per liter - 1 tsp.
- 3 bay leaves
- 2 cloves of garlic
- 2 tsp mustard seeds
- 2 glasses of white wine
For the sauce
- 3 egg yolks
- 200 g of creme fraiche
- 30 g butter
- 1 tbsp flour
- 1 g of saffron (from the weekly market for spices, a tiny box for 1 Euro)
- 1 glass of white wine
- 1 small shot of Cognac (does not have to, but contributes greatly to the taste and well-being of the eater)
- 3 shallots, 3 garlic cloves
- salt and pepper
Do not wonder about the many bowls, the shells need incredible space when they open.
preparation
- Wash the shells in the sink and drain in the sieve, in portions. Remove any broken ones or ones that you doubt if they are good. Better to throw away a good than a bad eat!
- In the Riesentopf, (my 10 L) soup greens boil with 4 L of water, salt and wine and spices. If it smells delicious, comes the first half of the mussels. If it bubbles, cook for another 5 minutes.
- Remove the mussels with a perforated strainer and drain in a bowl and allow to cool. Do the same with the second portion.
- Now you prepare the sauce in the second pot: Melt butter, chopped shallots and garlic until glassy. Add 1 tablespoon of flour, stir and pour about three liters of the sifted cooking water. Cook for half an hour and reduce.
- At the end of the cooking time mix three egg yolks with crème fraîche, wine and cognac and add the broth. In the meantime, you are not idle.
- The mussels are freed from one half of the shell and only half of the attached mussel meat is kept. I put everything in a bowl. These mussel meat halves I put in the fridge until shortly before serving.
- If the guests go to the table so slowly, you heat the mussels in the Mouclade, do not cook!
- Serve in deep plates - put a bowl in the middle of the table for the bowls.
Do not let it stop you from cooking if you do not have a giant pot. Then do two middle pots - or you ask around and borrow one from. Older neighbors, who used to cook a lot, are usually a good source!
