This page may contain affiliate links. So I receive a small commission at no cost to you when you make a purchase using my link. This post is about the classic French dish called Moules Marinières!

Movie Night - "The Rules of the Game"
On movie nights, I cook a meal to accompany the film we are going to watch. The meal I choose is somehow inspired by the film. The inspiration could be something actually eaten in the film, or the setting.
We watched the 1939 classic French film called "The Rules of the Game" on a recent movie night. Jean Renoir directed this film, and it is considered by many authorities on motion pictures to be one of the greatest films in cinema history.
That evening I paired a classic French film with a classic French dish! Moules Marinières are steamed mussels. My understanding is that this dish was a favorite of Julia Child's. 🙂
Few Ingredients + A Little of Your Time = Elegant Meal 🙂
Moules Marinières couldn't be simpler to make! I used frozen mussels to make Simple Moules Marinières.
The short ingredients list includes:
- Frozen mussels (generally 1 pound per person will do)
- Heavy cream
- White wine
- Butter
- Garlic
- Shallot
- Italian Parsley (for garnish)
The Method To Create Moules Marinières
The methods to make this delicious mussels dish is as follows. Melt some butter and add minced garlic and shallots. After stirring, add wine, the mussels and cream, and then steam your mussels!
I used frozen mussels which were fully cooked and meant to be prepared from a frozen state. Follow the directions on the package of frozen mussels that you buy. Hopefully you can use frozen mussels that do not need to be defrosted. So that you can just tear open the bag and add to the mix!
Salt and pepper are the only seasonings required in this dish. The mussels will already be a bit salty, so you won't need much salt to season this dish. 🙂
Have a look at the picture above. You can see the sentence: "Some may not fully open but can be manually opened and consumed." It is generally recommended to discard any mussels that do not open unless the packaging on the frozen mussels you buy states this.
Why Make Moules Marinières?
To conclude, I highly recommend that you make this dish soon! Certainly it's super easy with minimal prep and little fuss. Above all it is full of amazing briny and salty mussel deliciousness!
Moreover it's very budget friendly, and makes for a most elegant meal. Serve Moules Marinières with some crusty French bread to mop up all the juices. 🙂
And enjoy this Simple Moules Marinières with a glass of French Chablis!
Bon Appétit!!
Some Other Recipes You May Enjoy!
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Cheers!
Grace
Simple Moules Marinières
Ingredients
- 2 lbs mussels frozen and fully cooked
- 1 shallot finely minced
- 5 cloves garlic finely minced
- 4 tablespoon butter
- ½ cup white wine
- 2 tablespoon heavy cream
- Italian parsley handful roughly chopped for garnish
- salt to taste
- pepper to taste
Instructions
- Melt butter in a large stockpot set on medium setting on your stove.
- Add minced garlic and shallot to the butter, and stir 1 minute.
- Add wine and bring to the boil.
- Now add the frozen mussels straight from the bags along with your cream. Stir well and bring back to the boil. Lower the heat to a simmer (around medium or a little higher) and cover. Cook until the mussels open, approximately 8-10 minutes. You are basically steaming the mussels so you want to see some steam. 🙂
- Season with salt and pepper, and garnish generously with Italian parsley!
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