Steamed mussels with leeks, thyme & bacon

Steamed mussels with leeks, thyme & bacon

By Barney Desmazery
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
(4 ratings)
By
Magazine subscription – 5 issues for £5

Prep: 20 mins Cook: 15 mins

Easy

Serves 2
A bistro-style starter for two. Mop up the juices with crusty bread, or make it into a main with chunky chips

Nutrition and extra info

Nutrition: per serving

  • kcal377
  • fat26g
  • saturates12g
  • carbs9g
  • sugars5g
  • fibre0g
  • protein24g
  • salt2.76g
Save to My Good Food
Please sign in or register to save recipes.
Print

Ingredients

  • 750g mussel
    Mussels

    Mussels

    mus-sels

    Once regarded as the poor relation of the shellfish family because of their small size and…

  • 25g butter
    Butter

    Butter

    butt-err

    Butter is made when lactic-acid producing bacteria are added to cream and churned to make an…

  • 6 rashers smoked streaky bacon, chopped into small pieces
  • 2 small leeks, sliced on the diagonal
    Leeks

    Leek

    lee-k

    Like garlic and onion, leeks are a member of the allium family, but have their own distinct…

  • handful thyme sprigs

    Thyme

    This popular herb grows in Europe, especially the Mediterranean, and is a member of the mint…

  • small glass cider or white wine
    Cider

    Cider

    si-der

    Cider is an alcoholic beverage made from the fermented juice of apples. Apple orchards were…

Method

  1. Scrub and de-beard the mussels. Heat half the butter in a pan, then sizzle the bacon for 3-4 mins until starting to brown. Add the leeks and thyme, then sweat everything together for 4-5 mins until soft. Turn the heat up high, add the mussels and cider or wine, then cover and cook for 4-5 mins, shaking the pan occasionally, until the mussels have opened. Discard any that don’t open. Scoop the mussels and the other bits into a dish, then place the pan back on the heat. Boil the juices for 1 min with the rest of the butter, then pour over the mussels and serve with crusty bread.

You may also like

Ads by Google

Comments, questions and tips

Sign in or create your My Good Food account to join the discussion.
ladynellington
31st Jan, 2013
5.05
These are so so delicious! I use Stella Artoire Cidre for this for a bit of sweetness and a fruity kick. Very good with French fries!!
stuart_38
1st Sep, 2012
I've been doing basic mussels and white wine for years and this was my first attempt at something with actual flavour (in parallel with the Thai style mussels). The result was spectacular. Very very delicious and I was scooping up the juices at the bottom of the plate. Will be making again.
esthersnook
1st Apr, 2012
4.05
Delicious, very easy to make. Also used chorizo instead of bacon, lovely!
rikkeharders
6th Nov, 2011
5.05
fantastic!
svdebruin
4th Apr, 2009
Great! This is so easy, so tasty and so definately on the 'must make again' list! I used cider and lemon thyme, the lemon thyme gave a lovely flavour. Next time I think I'm going to try it with wine & then chorizo instead of bacon.
jayne3508
1st Mar, 2009
5.05
Very flavoursome and looks great. The bacon and leeks really compliment the mussels. I used wine not cider. So quick and easy to prepare and serve.
Be the first to ask a question about this recipe...Unsure about the cooking time or want to swap an ingredient? Ask us your questions and we’ll try and help you as soon as possible. Or if you want to offer a solution to another user’s question, feel free to get involved...
Be the first to suggest a tip for this recipe...Got your own twist on this recipe? Or do you have suggestions for possible swaps and additions? We’d love to hear your ideas.