Mussels Recipe with Blue Cheese
Elegantly rustic Mussels Recipe with Blue Cheese and Bacon. A classic french dish you can make at home!
Mussels are one of Lt. Dan’s favorite things to eat.
He could sit and eat pounds of them at a time, oohing and ahhhing like What About Bob.
There is a little french bistro here in Asheville we like to frequent, called Bouchon. Bouchon feels like a casual eatery in France. The interior is a little too dark, a little too crowded, and a little too warm on a sultry summer evening… Yet that is part of why it’s utterly charming!
Aromas of warm pungent cheese, garlic-wine sauce, and yeasty bread waft through the open windows at both ends of the restaurant, and into the back alley which is also used for seating. They offer several delectable varieties of mussels accompanied by their devilish matchstick frites dipped in aioli.
Choices range from the Parisian-Born Redneck, steamed in PBR beer with Dijon mustard and butter, to the Mediterranean, in a tomato-wine sauce with garlic and saffron.
Bouchon is a true Asheville staple.
I have to admit, before Bouchon I wasn’t crazy about mussels. It was a textural thing. Yet, thanks to this wonderful little restaurant, I am a mussel-convert.
Hooked enough to occasionally make them at home!
This simple Mussels Recipe with Blue Cheese, shallots, and bacon is a nod to one of my favorite Asheville eateries.
It’s so simple to make, you’ll wonder why you never tried making mussels at home before.
Mussels Recipe with Blue Cheese
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 pounds fresh mussels
- 6 tablespoons olive oil
- 3/4 cup chopped bacon
- 2/3 cup thinly sliced shallots
- 1/2 cup mild creamy blue cheese
- 3/4 cup white wine
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 1/2 cup baby spinach or arugula, cleaned and de-stemmed
- Salt and pepper
Instructions
- Rinse and check all the mussels. If they are cracked, throw them out! If they are slightly opened, squeeze them. If they don't close back up within a few seconds, throw them out! One bad mussel can spoil the whole pot.
- Heat the oil in a saute pan over medium-high heat. Cook the bacon until the fat is rendered and it is slightly browned. Remove the bacon and set aside.
- Add the shallots and saute 1-2 minutes. Then add the mussels and toss together. Add the white wine and lemon juice and toss together.
- When the mussels start to open, add half of blue cheese, melting it into the broth. As soon as all mussels are open, toss in the spinach.
- Season to taste with salt and black pepper. Top with the rest of the blue cheese and the bacon. Serve with crusty bread to sop up the blue cheese broth!
Nutrition
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The best part of mussels is the broth and soaking it all up with bread at the end. I bet this one is extra good with the bacon and blue cheese.
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Prepared this for our evening meal tonight and it was entirely remarkable. Did the recipe pretty much as written but substituted a tablespoon+ of chipotle oil for the olive oil. And incorporated my own pasta. This is without doubt a keeper formula for a brilliant repast!!
Thanks Sharon!
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Fantastic seafood dish. I love fromage bleu.
I love mussels and those sound amazing! I also love Bobby Flay and had a photo opp with him a couple of weeks ago at one of his restaurants in NY. I was thrilled:)
I'm with you I adore Bobby, he's thowdown show is fun, I like mussels, but the recips i have are boring, this looks so tasty…great for the weekend
sweetlife
These look wonderful. Ii love to add spinach to different dishes, but have yet to my mussels. I'll be sure to try this soon.
Mussels is one of my favorite seafood. It is cheap and tasty and you can make so many variations of it. Your recipe sounds super delicious!
Oh I looooooove mussels, and your recipe is a mouthwatering one! Next time I see Bobby Flay I will look at him more carefully, I think freckles are cute too actually.
I've actually eaten at Teddy's place. The mussles are very good. Great job with the dish. Cheers!
My husband loves mussels but I still have that texture aversion thing. This is an inspiring post but I don't know if I'm there quite yet! I LOVE bobby flay's showdown's though!
I love mussels and this recipe is awesome with the addition of blue cheese and bacon!
When I see Bobby, he has that clueless face when cooking. Pretty annoyed that his fried chicken recipes never seemed to work for me…
The mussels look finger lickin' delish! What did you think of the taste?
I'd probably add heaps of butter or cream, just to overkill the whole thing. Hahaha.
Dear Sommer – I really enjoyed reading this post and all about your crush wrt Bobby Flay's freckles + Bouchon:)
Love the post, the description, the recipe and the pics. Stellar flavors!
Ciao, Devaki @ weavethousandflavors
Mussels are a staple in this household when they are in season. I went to college in Montreat (20 miles out of Asheville) and have very fond memories of this part of NC. Thanks for the trip down memory lane. I took my hubby to visit before we moved back to France and we ate in the most wonderful Italian restaurant on the square I think, it was a very small restaurant and the menu was limited but outside of Italy it was one of the best meals I had.
Is there anyway to order take out at 2am? If so I'll take 2,or just give the recipe to my wife,and I will order from her.
Beautiful display! Quite a different style than what I'm used to. Looks delicious, a recipe I would like to try for sure. I serve mussels with a spicy, chunky red sauce.
Ahhh – mussels are one of my very favorite seafoods! This sounds heavenly, Sommer. P.S. Here's my request for an awesome spaghetti alle vongole recipe at some future date.