Easy French Steamed Mussels & Crispy Oven Fries [Moules Frites] | Fancy Foods To Fool Your Friends

Moules Frites (aka: Mussels & French Fries) is the easiest, cheapest, most amazing restaurant-worthy shellfish dish you can make at home. In this video I’ll show you how to prepare mussels steamed in a creamy, white-wine infused blue cheese broth alongside some of the best homemade oven fries you have ever tried. [Recipe below.]

Creamy Blue Cheese Mussels and Fries
Serves 2

1 kg Mussels
200 grams Gorgonzola cheese
1 cup White wine
¼ Fennel, finely diced
3 Garlic cloves, minced
2 Shallots, finely diced
1.5 cups Water
1 Tbs. Butter
Pinch of Salt
Pinch of Pepper

1 kg Russet or starchy potatoes
Vegetable Oil
Large handful of Salt

Fill a large bowl with cold water, then open the package of mussels and transfer them to a colander. Place the colander in the sink, with the tap gently running, and wash and inspect the mussels one-by-one. Pull off any seaweedy bits and discard mussels that have broken or smashed shells. Transfer the cleaned mussels into the bowl of cold water, and let them soak while you prepare the fries.

Fill a large bowl with hot water, add in a large handful of salt, and stir the brine to dissolve the salt. Cut your potatoes into fry-shape – how thick or thin you like them is up to you (with this dish, I like them thinner and crunchier). As soon as the potatoes are cut, transfer them to the hot water brine and let them soak.

Preheat your oven to 250 C / 480 F.

Melt the butter in the bottom of a large stock pot over high heat. Add the minced fennel, garlic, and shallots, and season with a pinch of salt. Cook until the aromatics have just begun to soften. Add in the white wine, water, and crumble in the gorgonzola. Stir gently until the gorgonzola is fully melted and incorporated into the sauce. Season with salt and pepper to taste, then cover and remove from the heat.

Once the broth is assembled, drain your potatoes and dry them off thoroughly. Toss them with enough vegetable oil to coat, then transfer them to a baking sheet, spreading them out into a single layer. Cover the sheet tightly with aluminum foil and place the baking sheet in the oven.

After 5 minutes, remove the aluminum foil from the fries and continue baking. Bake for another 10-25 minutes (time is going to depend on how thick or thin you cut your fries), until the potatoes are tender, golden, crispy on the edges, and bubbling in places. Remove from the oven and cool.

Place your broth back on the heat and bring to a fast simmer. Turn the heat down to low, add your mussels to the pot, and cover. Cook for 3-5 minutes. When you remove the lid, the mussel shells should be wide open. Remove from the heat and serve immediately.

Bring the pot to the table along with a large bowl for the discarded shells. Serve the mussels in bowls with a small plate on the side for fries. Round out the meal with a green salad if desired, and aioli or mayonnaise for dipping the fries.

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