Rick Stein’s Cornish Mussels with Cider

preparation 30 minutes
cook time 5 minutes
Serves 4

Rick Stein's delicious version of moules marinière uses the finest Cornish ingredients – you can’t go wrong! Warming but also nice and light, this is the perfect dish for the changeable spring weather.

Recipe taken from Rick Stein at Home (£26, BBC Books)

Ingredients Method

1.75kg mussels
20g butter
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
4 or 5 spring onions, chopped
A few thyme sprigs and a couple of bay leaves
100ml dry cider
120ml double cream
Good handful wild sorrel leaves, coarsely chopped, or 200g baby spinach leaves, washed
Salt and black pepper
Crusty bread, to serve

Wash the mussels under plenty of cold, running water. Discard any open ones that won’t close when lightly squeezed or tapped. Pull out any tough, fibrous beards protruding from the tightly closed shells and knock off any barnacles with a large knife. Give the mussels another quick rinse to remove any little pieces of shell.

Melt the butter in a large pan with a lid. Add the garlic, spring onions, thyme and bay leaves, then cook until softened. Add the mussels and cider, then turn up the heat, cover the pan and leave the mussels to steam in their own juices for 3–4 minutes. Give the pan a good shake every now and then.

Add the cream and the chopped sorrel or baby spinach and remove from the heat. Season with salt and black pepper. Spoon into large warmed bowls and serve with lots of crusty bread to soak up the tasty juices.