MUSSELS MARSEILLAISE

SOURCE: JEAN VERGNES. A SEASONED CHEF: RECIPES AND REMEMBRANCES FROM THE CHEF AND FORMER CO-OWNER OF NEW YORK’S FAMOUS LE CIRQUE RESTAURANT.

Without the golden essence of saffron, any seafood stew from Marseilles would have been blandly Provençal for the past two millennia. Saffron is the perfume behind the beloved Bouillabaisse Marseillaise since the 19th century when the middle and working class began adopting the crimson flower threads into their dishes. In the case of mussels, which local chefs strictly advise against a standard Bouillabaisse stock due to their strong maritime and briny flavor, the Marseillan purpose of saffron stigmas aims to blur the boundary between the land and sea realms by lending a sharp earthy scent for a more complementary and magnetic taste than a sublime richness.

Ingredients

4 tablespoons/60 grams unsalted butter

2 tablespoons/30 mL olive oil

1 tablespoon/10 grams finely chopped shallots

2 tablespoons/20 grams finely chopped onions

1 teaspoon/3 grams finely chopped garlic

1/2 cup/96 grams seeded and finely chopped sweet red peppers

1 1/2 cups/300 grams skinned, seeded, and chopped tomatoes

Freshly ground black pepper to taste

1/8 teaspoon/0.2 gram cayenne pepper

1 cup/250 mL dry white wine

6 pounds/2.7 kg mussels, scrubbed and cleaned

1/2 teaspoon/0.4 gram saffron

Salt

2 tablespoons/8 grams chopped parsley for garnish

Specific Equipment

Large pot equipped with a lid

Wire whisk

Serves 6

Instructions

1. Combine 2 tablespoons/30 grams butter and oil in a large pot over medium heat. Sauté in the shallots, onions, and garlic for 1 minute or until they have softened. Stir in the sweet red pepper and sauté for 1 more minute. Stir in the tomatoes, ground pepper, and cayenne and sauté for 2 minutes or until the red peppers and tomatoes have softened.

2. Stir in the white wine and mussels and cover with a lid. Bring to a boil for 2 to 3 minutes or until the mussel shells have opened.

3. Remove the mussels from the pot and transfer them to a deep-bottomed serving casserole. Set the mussels aside and keep warm.

4. Stir in the saffron into the mussel broth and bring to a boil over moderate heat. Boil for 5 minutes or until the volume has reduced by half. Correct the seasoning of the broth by adjusting with salt and pepper according to taste.

5. Whisk in 2 tablespoons/30 grams butter, bit by bit over medium heat to thicken the broth. Pour the broth over the mussels and sprinkle with chopped parsley for garnish.