Beer Boiled Mussels

Name: Beer Boiled Mussels
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 25 min
Yield: 4
Ingredients: 2 lbs. mussels; 12 oz. pale ale beer (can also use chicken or vegetable broth); 4 tablespoons salted butter; 3 large garlic cloves, pressed; 1/4 teaspoon sea salt; 2 leaves fresh basil, chopped; 2 springs fresh rosemary, chopped

September 2, 2015 // 2 Comments »

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These Beer Boiled Mussels are so flavorful and fun! Infuse the shellfish with your favorite beer for a light and summery recipe!

So we went to a wedding this past weekend. It was so fun and basically anything you could want in a wedding – awwing about the lovely couple, eating delicious food, drinking dem drinks, and dancing like ya just don’t care. Check. Check. Check. AND CHECK.

I decided it would be a good idea to try to curl my hair for the occasion, even though I have never in my life successfully curled my hair. Well, I ended up looking like a generic sitcom actress from the 90’s. When bobby pinning it back didn’t work I decided to embrace it and just flip it to the side and pretend like the ’90’s style is coming back. Um, hello high waisted pants, they kind of are.

So, if you happened to see me on Saturday night with my hair flipped entirely to one side, that’s what was happening. Ha! Congratulations Sandi and Brett, I had a blast 🙂

But anywho…

I’ve kind of had it on my summer bucket list to try to make some more seafood that I’m usually too intimidated to make. This clam dish with lemon butter sauce was my first adventure. After the aforementioned wedding with the most incredible seafood display during cocktail hour, I decided to try my hand in mussels.

There are only a few steps to these bad boys and I really think you guys will be surprised how easy they are to make. Here’s how you make Beer Boiled Mussels:

Place mussels in a strainer in the sink and rinse them. If the mussels are open, tap them on the counter or a cutting board and see if they close. If they close, they are ok to use. If they stay open, discard them.

Add beer, butter, and garlic to a pan over high heat, bringing the beer broth to a boil (say that five times fast). Add the closed mussels and cover with a lid. Cook for 3-5 minutes or until the mussels have opened.

Use a slotted spoon to transfer the mussels into a large serving bowl. Discard any mussels that do not open. I had to do about three batches because all my mussels didn’t fit in one pan and I wanted them to be a single layer so they had direct contact with the broth.

Once all the mussels are cooked, continue to cook the broth. Boil for an additional 3 minutes and pour the mixture over the mussels.

Sprinkle with salt. Garnish with fresh herbs.