Drunken Mussels

This was a big winner with everyone. I had 3 pounds of mussels. We subbed beer for the wine, used a tablespoon of crushed red pepper (we like 'em hot!) and since we were having clams as well we wanted this to be a red sauce. I added a 28 ounce can of crushed tomatoes and doubled the butter. I let the sauce cook a bit to thicken and then added the mussels. So good! Loved the sauce over some linguine. Will be making this again!

Loved it! Thank you! Would not change a thing.

I changed this one just a bit and it turned out awesome. Used beer instead of wine and added some heavy cream. It was a hit at our last dinner party.

Simply superb! I decreased the amount of white wine (1.5 cups) and added a large splash of heavy cream (about 1 Tbsp). Other than that, I followed the recipe exactly as written. As someone who really loves mussels and who has made them many times in a variety of ways... I can say that this is my new favorite recipe for them. I made 'em especially for my elderly father, who really enjoyed dipping his crusty bread into the amazing sauce. Many thanks to Chef John for yet another splendid recipe!

This was NOT good. If I were to make thing again I would likely double the butter, and split the wine with some type of stock. Two cups of wine is terrible. I used good, dry white and even added a leek that I had in the fridge but there was no flavor besides the wine. Seafood like this shouldn't need salt and this did.

This is an excellent base recipe - so many things that you can do to tweak! For the second attempt, I made some adjustments (in order of addition to the pot: More butter (not much - though more butter is always best), More garlic, about 2 medium chopped leeks (they were in the fridge getting sad from the farmer's market 3 weeks ago), a huge tomato roughly chopped (again, from the farmer's market last week. Poor dear was getting squishy - oh well, cut off the weird stuff and use the rest! I tasted first, it was divine), added 1/2 pound of fresh shrimp with shells still on - backs cut with scissors to make for easy peeling later but not de-veined, 3/4 of a medium summer squash- diced into 1/2 in cubes (this might've been too small, oh well), about 1/2 of the wine replaced with distilled water, I didn't have parsley but I had a ton of sorrel (again, starting to get sad. We tend to play favorites with vegetables, running out of kale but never eating the other greens!) so I took about 3/4 of a big bundle and roughly sliced across to make ribbons. Dropped some in at the end - got a bit brown and strange looking but added a wonderful toothy brightness to vegetable bites that lemon couldn't capture alone. The result? Fantastic! A medley of bright vegetables in a light, mildly tomato sauce. I meant to add cream but forgot! It was still delectable. Must be served with a big bowl for shells (both mussel and shrimp). What to do with the shells? Bury them in the yard, I suppose!

This recipe is divine! I felt like I was eating this at a "Legal Seafood" restaurant in Boston. Anyone that loves seafood, has traveled some and has experienced a "Legal Seafood" restaurant in Boston knows what I'm saying. I only made half of this recipe. I live in Colorado at an elevation of 6,800 feet and it only took 2 minutes for the mussels to open, I expected that it would take much longer than that yet the mussels were done perfectly. Being that I only made half of the original recipe amounts, I found that 1 cup of a nice white wine was too much. I suggest that anyone that makes this entree as written for 2 servings to only use 1 cup of wine instead of the 2 cups that is called for.

I LOVE this recipe and made many times. What I have learned is that having the parsley doesn't make or break this dish. What does make this dish is the lemon zest and wine, which needs to be a chardonnay with a good oak finish. I tried with a Pinot Grigio and it was too fizzy. And go big with the butter using a stick. It's not like you eat all of it as much is left in the juice you discard. And take time with the letting the ingredients really saute and blend together the medley of flavors before adding the mussels. And these heat up really well as left overs with the broth in a saucepan the next day. I found the best economical wine to use is Kirkland's Chardonnay. Like they say, if you won't drink it, don't cook with it. Good luck!

Excellent! We couldn't stop mopping up the broth with our crusty bread :)

This recipe was great! It made me look like a master cook without much experience. It looked beautiful, but I did have a hard time getting all the mussels to open (may have been the quality of the mussels). I used my boyfriend and my favorite wine, which is a sweet white and what we had on hand, I will not do that again! it was way too sweet and fruity. dry white or beer next time, but I will definitely try it again!

This is THE basic recipe for mussels that we like. However, if you want to print it, don't use allrecipes print option - you will get something with 3 point type. Have to copy and paste into Word or printscreen.

I doubled the butter, used 2/3 bottle of Pino Grigio, eyeballed the red pepper flakes (we like it a bit hotter than many) & subbed cilantro for the parsley. It was a big hit. Shared the recipe and will make it again.

Super easy to make. I added shallots and would definitely add them again but great without!

omg that sauce i thought i was heaven. however i did change a couple of things 1. i only used a cup of white wine cause I kinda drank to much and i only had a cup left and 2. I added a NZ smoked ghost pepper cause I like chili. My 6 year old daughter who normally refuses to eat mussels loved these. Defo on my house hold cooking list.

I added mushroom and onion to the broth to add a little bit more flavor as well as linguini. I cooked the linguini until it was almost cooked, strained it, and add it to the broth to continue cooking. After the mussels were open I took them out and added the pasta to the broth. Then, I took most of the mussels out of the shells and added it to the pasta and broth once that was cooked. Added lemon and pepper a once it was cooked. It was delicious.

Awesome! We were still hungry and used the sauce to cook some large shrimp. Easy and leaves a tasty sauce.

I enjoyed it the first time I made it - it’s a perfectly adequate recipe . That said, the second and subsequent times I’ve made it since then, I now add a little more butter, and cut back the amount of white wine by 1/2 C. I then put back that 1/2 C with seafood broth instead, and I also use equal amounts of vermouth AND white wine as well with that substitution. Adds a LOT of flavour to it. Still and all, this is a terrific place to start if you’ve never made this type of recipe before!

Used mussles from Costco, took a long time to scrub those musseles. I did not like them at all right after came out from a pot, I was even thinking of dump them to a waste basket. However, I changed my mind because John's recipes are usually very good. So, I removed meat from shells, kept them in fridge over night. Wow, they were so good despite I am not even mussele fan, I may make it again!

best mussels recipe i ever made !!!!!!!!!!!!1

Outstanding! The brightness brought by the lemon zest nicely balances the savory garlic and mussel broth. Anyone have a creative recipe to use the leftover broth?

Excellent & Easy! Increased butter, cut wine in half, doubled garlic, added leaks and shallots - just because I had them on hand. Mussels were from Costco - came in a 5lb bag - they were very good size. Twin 14 year olds gobbled them up while they soaked bread in the delicious broth. Recipe is a keeper! Happy 2017!

Beyond delicious! I was a little short on the wine, so I just used what I had and they turned out great. This is a definite keeper~YUM, YUM, YUM!!!!!! Thanks for sharing. :)

Just like Dale, I'm a big fan of Legal Sea Food's sautéed mussels. I have made this recipe twice with his suggestion of cutting the amount of white wine down to half. However, I noticed the taste difference due to the type of wine I used each time I made it: French chardonnay and domestic sauvignon blanc. As Jazz mentioned, this dish is best made with chardonnay. It gives it a more delicate flavor that blends well with butter and garlic. I also felt the amount of red pepper flakes was a bit too overpowering.

We really liked this recipe so we wove it into my usual recipe, using this basic recipe and including several additions. Last time I made this exact recipe, it seemed it was lacking somehow; so I reverted a bit to incorporate more flavor, at least for us. Chef John is my go-to because he has so many great recipes and videos, and I know each recipe will please all. I rarely divert from his guidance! I think in the many years I’ve followed him, only one recipe wasn’t the excellence I was accustomed to. All the others quickly became my favorites, bar none.

This recipe rocks! I have made it 4 times over the past 2 months. It is so easy and so delicious. We will continue to use this recipe. I can't think of anything that would make it better. Perfection!

Really great

I would give this 3 stars however hubby who still gets a little nudgey about mussels liked it a lot. He liked the citrus flavor which really came through. I did pick up some heat from the red pepper but it was more of a kick and not overpowering. Will probably make it again.

Will make again. Love Mussels.

I've made this several times. I love that it is so simple and quick. It's great as is, and is also a great recipe to make changes to, to accommodate personal preference or different food pairings. One hint: make sure you get your shellfish from a source who takes the time to really clean them. Otherwise, take the time to soak them to de-sand them and debeard them yourself. Keep up with the great contributions, Chef John!

We loved this recipe! It is easy and the mussels were delicious. I served it with french bread toasted with butter, which we used to sop up the broth. I didn't change the recipe at all.

I loved this recipe, made as written with the exception that I added a little cream to the sauce, had them with oven baked Sweet Potato fries and French bread, very easy and tasty, will make again for sure.

I love mussels, and this recipe is my new favorite. It's wonderful how fast this comes together, and the flavor is great. I used an inexpensive but decent pinot grigio - half in the pot, the other half to drink with dinner! :-)

OMG - I'm in love!!!!!

This is seriously the best tasting dish I have made from this site. I halved the recipe for 1 lb of mussels (since it was just for me) , but I kept the butter at 2 Tablespoons. Then I sprinkled the serving bowl with just a little kosher sea salt--which really added to the looks and flavor, I think. The fresh parsley and red pepper are a must. I'm still dipping my crusty bread in the broth as I write. I have had mussels in fine restaurants world wide and this is as good if not better. Please don't go adding cream to this if you want to fresh mussels at their finest.

We love white wine so this was great for my family ! All adults I might add :) Used french bread for "mopping" up the sauce and it made a meal with a side salad.

My first time cleaning mussels and was a little intimidated at first, but after the first few it was easy. Super easy recipe, great flavor, just the right amount of heat - it was there but didn't punch you in the face. Note: I used a $20 bottle of Sauvignon Blanc. I made this *exactly* according to the recipe - ingredients and procedure. Next time I might add just a bit of flour with hope of giving the broth a little body. *You can't give a recipe 5 stars and then say that you can't wait to try it!! And you can't rate a recipe and then describe the dozen ways you altered it! :-)

We enjoyed these mussels, and a pound per person worked out perfectly, too. Next time, I will add more butter to the dipping sauce, but that's just a personal taste preference.

Doubled butter, garlic, and red pepper flakes. Used Pinot Grigio as it goes well with seafood. Solid mix of ingredients for a tasty dipping broth! Also, very easy and fast if you're looking for a quick dinner option.

I look forward to following the recipe exactly next time, but even with the substitutes I had to make, it was wonderful. Instead of lemon zest, I used dried lemon peel, and fresh parsley was replaced by dried parsley.

I followed the recipe exactly, using Pinot grigio for the wine. And it was a bit less than ok. My guests liked it, though, so it gets 3 stars. Maybe if I used beer?

Probably need better mussels. Some were pulled apart Next time, check out mussels at purchase time

Good basic recipe but the wine was a bit overpowering.

I love mussels and decided to try cooking it. I tweaked the ingredients and added more flavor. I added 4 tbl spoon of butter, 2 cups of dry white wine, red crushed peppers, 1 cup of tomato puree, red sliced onions, 1 whole sliced sweet bell red peppers, 4-5 sprigs of thyme, 1 cup of chopped fresh parsley, 2 cloves of minced garlic, 2 bags of cooked shrimp, and 3 lbs of debeard mussels. I had the onions, garlic, peppers, thyme, parsley, and 3 tlb spoons of butter simmer n caramelize first. Then I added my homemade seasonings,pepper and the crushed peppers until all the ingredients were blended. Then I added the wine and left it cooking for about 2 min and then added the tomato puree. I left that cook for 2 more min then I added shrimps and the mussels. I added 1 table spoon of butter and covered it. I only uncovered it to stir the mussels. I cooked it until the mussels opened and the shrimp were cooked. It taste so good. I think if I would have used the original recipe alone, without adding my zest then it wouldn't have tasted as good. The broth was spicy n amazing. We all had the garlic bread dipped in the broth. I also cooked bow tie pasta (al dente) and added the broth to it and it was a winning dish in my house. Spent about $50 it fed four people and had left overs.

I liked this dish but as I was eating the mussels I was hoping for a little more flavour...not the occasional hint of lemon. My father taught me to put a few tablespoons of corn meal in water and then add the muscles, they will eat the corn meal and filter out any sand. I used pinot grigio and added a shallot. If I make this again I will use half the amount of wine and add 1/2 cup of non flavoured coffee creamer, tempered.

This is good recipe for mussels, I made it for 3 pounds and adjusted the recipe accordingly. I will be making this again my father and I really enjoyed them.

Absolutely loved this dish.. Will be making it again.

So easy, really delicious. The only change I made was to half the red pepper flakes.

Amazing recipe. Didn't have lemons, used lemon juice. Used cilantro instead of parsley. Loved it!

It wasn't BAD, but I certainly won't use this recipe again. I uses tons of wine which dominates the flavor. Instead of a balanced flavor that brings out the freshness of the mussels, it just overpowers it. I prefer a recipe that cuts the wine with chicken broth. The times for cooking were too long. some of the mussels dried out. It turned out good enough to eat, but not good.

Made them for the first time. My husband loves mussels so there was definite pressure :) He LOVED them!! A neighbor stopped by to visit and tried several and raved they were delicious and tasted like a chef made them...I'll definitely make again!! I did use 2 tsp Gilroy Farms minced garlic and 3 Tbsp of lite butter.

Loved this! Great flavor and easy recipe

Huge garlic fan so appreciated the amount used. Flavor wise seemed to be missing something and a bit thin if using as sauce for pasta. Sopping up the sauce with the bread was great. So plan to do something extra if making into a pasta sauce, otherwise if just mussels its pretty yummy and the mussels are tender and not rubbery.

We made this for our anniversary. It was amazing, we followed the recipe. Enjoy!!!

Chef John's recipes rarely disappoint, but this just wasn't good. I made the recipe exactly as written, but increased the portions. I used a Chardonnay white wine. The "sauce" wasn't good and tasted too tart. I think this recipe could have benefited from equal parts chicken stock and white wine. I won't be making this again.

I made this tonight with 5 pounds of fresh mussels. I also added a whole lemon, thinly sliced, to the pot. It was exceptional!!! Believe it or not, there are no leftovers... Thank you for the recipe!

Great recipe. I made it few times already and it came out just great. Usually I change the bread for fettuccine pasta and double the butter. I recommend this recipe to everyone.

This was incredible. Just like what we were served in Belgium. Like others, I followed the recipe exactly except added a couple of tablespoons of heavy cream.

We very much enjoyed this recipe! The only thing I would add next time is a pinch of salt, otherwise this recipe is perfect!

This recipe was delicious! I used a teaspoon and a half of lemon juice instead of lemon zest and chopped fresh red pepper to add. I will definitely make this recipe again.

I picked up 2 pounds of PEI mussels the other day and had no idea what to do with them. So I searched my go to site and found this recipe, all I can say is fabulous!!! A little too much heat for me so I will reduce the red pepper flakes next time. I think trying this with red winw would be great too. Thanks so much!!

OMG the sauce with this is to die for (if you like it HOT) use toasted slices of an italian baget (the long kind) from our local bake shop slathered in butter for dipping, 1 1/2 tbls of red ground pepper a little over on the butter(i allways eye ball it for the sauce), 1/4 tbls of lemon zest 2tbls of dryed parsly. had to stir 3xs (2 min apart, if i try to toss it hits the ceiling)and i was totaly going to add a pic but my family and i ate it to fast for that (no plates at the stove..like i said OMG)

came out really well and had so much flavor. I added the mussels to a pasta dish of shrimp and sausage. Was great!

Just made this for a NYE appetizer. Took some of the recommendations and adjusted by using 1 c. dry white wine, 1 c. Vegetable Stock, 6 cloves garlic, 4 T butter, and 1 tsp red pepper flakes. Just before serving topped it with a little heavy cream. Served with warm French bread and YUMMM!! Next time I'll cook the broth down a bit and use even more garlic. Thanks for a keeper recipe!!

Followed it exactly, served it for my daughter's 8th Birthday, even kids loved it.

Easy great recipe! The main thing is to CLEAN/Burp the Mussels by letting them soak in some water with flower or salt for a while before debearding.

So giving the recipe 3 stars is only to talk about my own bad choice. The recipe calls for "white wine," so I used Sauvignon Blanc because that's what we drink for a white these days. Will go with a Chardonnay, chablis or even a dry Riesling next time. Wrong choice. Still edible, but not the mind blowing experience eating mussels usually is.

The first time I made the recipe exactly as written and thought the flavor was weak. When I made it again, I added about a tablespoon of Better than Bouillon, Chicken flavor, to the wine sauce and that made it amazing! My first time rating would have been 3 stars.

Simple classic recipe. Can't miss.

I would like to give it a 4.8 but that isn't an option. I lived in western Washington and could bike to Penn Cove and harvest mussels a bit more mature than commercial mussels and took a bit more wine. Two cups of wine for 2 lbs mussels is more than needed for commercial mussels. One cup plus some vegetable broth is better. Today I made the recipe using 4 lbs commercial Penn Cove mussels, substituting 2 bottles of lager beer for the wine and it came out better than with wine. My spouse gave it a 9.5. I skipped the parsley and threw in a couple sprigs of fresh basil blossom in the last minute. We will now have mussels and pasta with alfredo sauce tomorrow

My favorite mussel recipe! Amazing

This is my go to when I make mussels. I use it as a base then check my fridge. Beer or wine it's always good!. Except I always add a spicy sausage and right at the end add some cream.

OMG OMG OMG - our local seafood store sells cleaned cooked frozen mussels. Always looking for a good way to serve them. This was fantastic. Only thing I did different was use unsalted butter because that was all I had. Didn't miss the salt. Will be making this again and again.

This is THE mussels recipe. Simple, light, and lovely. I kind of take credit for it (sorry chef John) but I make this over and over again. I use different fresh herb depending on what I have in my frigo, regardless the broth is what makes it.

My husband have eaten mussels across the US and in Europe and the Caribbean. This recipe is as delicious as all of them.

GREAT! Loved it, but a word to the wise, it was seriously spicy. If I was making this dish for multiple people, I would cut the red pepper down to maybe 1/4 tsp, maybe even 1/8 teaspoon. Didn't have any bread, but 5 stars anyways. Also, I used pinot grigio for the wine, and I think it was excellent.

It was a great success. we used a wheat French loaf from Wal-Mart that actually went really well with it untoasted. My sister in law who is a super picky eater actually went back for seconds and thirds. thanks for sharing the recipe will definitely do again

These are awesome and we love to use this recipe in the summer.

we essentially made it as per recipe except a little more garlic. big hit ??

Fantastic recipe loved by the 5 people who attended dinner at my place. Served with salad and bread then cheese & icecream with macerated fruit. It's very light so there's room for more food afterwards. The chili flakes add something special. Forgot to give lemon wedges. Just straight up great, no additions. Rave reviews from friends.

Wonderful... first time cooking mussels.. we loved them. Added a little more red pepper flakes. Our new favorite seafood recipe!

Super tasty and spicey. Easy recipe.

Shocked at how bad this recipe is despite all the positive reviews... I cooked this recipe almost exactly as directed (I added half a shallot with the garlic) and excluded the parsley. Let me start by saying that I'm a BIG mussel fan, and I love white wine (who doesn't?!) ... I used a nice bottle of white to cook this recipe thinking it was going to be a winner. How wrong. It came out tasting like dry white wine, heavy on the alcohol side, without much other flavor. I get that this is a 'drunken mussels' recipe but it really wasn't good and the alcohol overpowered the mussels. What a waste of good seafood! The dish also needed salt, lots of salt, so that should give you a clue at how badly this dish was lacking. Save your mussels and look for another recipe... THIS WAS NOT GOOD! :(

Recipe was simple and delicious!! Thank you Chef John!!! You did again!! I love your recipes!! You never let me down!!

Easy to make and a HUGE hit with the family and friends!

I usually make mussels with a tomato sauce but I made Drunken Mussels on Saturday. Amazing, rich in flavor, with a lovely lemon taste. The recipe is also easier and quicker to make than a tomato sauce. Love them

So I combined this with another recipe... I also added pasta, shallots and topped it with Parmigiano Reggiano on top. I didn't add a lot of lemon zest or juice, oh and used frozen mussels. This recipe literally only took like 10 minutes, after cooking pasta.

Well I screwed up and used probably 4 times as much red pepper it calls for, and it was still great, just extra-spicy.

The lemon zest over powered this dish.

I substituted the red pepper flakes for one Trinidad scorpion. If your a hot pepper fanatic like myself this will blow your socks off, literally. . Delicious. .

Very good! I added diced tomatoes and thyme. I would have added more garlic since recipe was doubled. Heavy cream as recommended by reviews is a great idea for next time.

Husband loved it, could use a bit of doctoring. Did add extra butter, used a bud beer and splash of white cooking wine, and added fresh basil and a splash of half and half. The sauce was delicious. Mussels cooked perfect!

The is a great basic mussel recipe - hard to go wrong and it definitely hit the spot! If you are looking for a standard, tried and true mussel recipe, this is it. Chef John always seems to have the recipes you can count on!

Absolutely fantastic recipe! The whole family loved it!

Quick last minute meal with fresh ricotta and spinach pasta. Tasted amazing!

Only mussels on a half-shell were available, they had been steamed already but were only partially cooked. I also used dry vermouth instead of white wine. Delicious & easy. Will make again.

Was very good and will make again

I plan on making again. For me, I used roasted bell pepper from jar also, but want more butter and garlic flavor. Plan on steaming in wine then putting it in pot with wine, whole stick of butter, garlic and the roasted bell peppers.

Love this recipe!

These are Perfect & FAST go to meal!!! Especially if your mussels are already cleaned. I have made these quite a few times now. I have used white cooking wine because I always have on hand & McCormick's Fiery 5 Pepper flakes. YUM!!!!!! Thank you for another simple & great recipe