Ridiculously quick and easy recipe for dinner that requires just a handful of ingredients. These Garlic Mussels In Sour Cream Sauce are such a comforting seafood dish, perfect for those busy weeknights when you just don't feel like cooking. Also available Pasta With Mussels And Fennel.
Garlic Mussels
I don't know if I didn't search enough or what, but I've never seen grocery stores carrying mussels without shells. Most of the times, mussels are sold fresh and with a shell on.
When I lived in Ukraine, shelled frozen mussels were available in many of groceries.
And although mussels have become increasingly popular in the recent years, it was not a product I grew up eating regularly.
In fact, the first time I tried mussels was during my trip to Paris in the middle of 2000s. As always the case with French cafes, once you order mussels, expect to get a huge pot of them.
Usually they are steamed with garlic and wine and they so filling and delicious, you don't even need to order anything else.
Of course, in the middle of 2000s in Ukraine live shell-on mussels were quite difficult to find. And even if they were available, frugal graduate school students like me, were not eager to buy such an expensive food item.
Frozen mussels on the other hand were available everywhere. They were cheap and new to Ukrainian customer, so people started developing recipes - comfort recipes.
One my favorite methods to cook mussels is to sauté them with some onion, garlic and sour cream. Easy and quick.
While I call this recipe Ukrainian, this is definitely not an old traditional recipe passed down by generations.
See, Ukrainians/Russians love adding sour cream in a variety of dishes. I say Russians because our countries have very similar cuisines and sometimes it's hard to tell which country does the recipe belong to.
Anyways, sour cream for Ukrainians is like Crème Fraîche for French or cream for Americans. We simply love it.
That's when Mussels in Sour Cream were born. Very easy, satisfying and comforting dish that is so popular in post-Soviet countries.
The trick here is to add garlic at the very end. You don't really need to cook it much. Let it release all its beautiful aroma and it's done.
Quick, easy and yummy!
A few weeks ago, my husband went grocery shopping and he bought me a small bag of frozen mussels. I didn't have a second thought on what to make with them.
As with any mussels recipe that I make, my Garlic Mussels recipe was devoured in no time. My favorite part is that they are so easy to make and perfect for a busy weeknight meal.
Before we straight to my Creamy Garlic Mussels recipe, here are some of the frequently asked questions.
Where to buy frozen mussels?
Frozen Mussels are sold in most grocery stores. You can usually find them in the frozen Food aisle.
Do I need to thaw frozen mussels before cooking?
Frozen mussels need to be thawed before cooking. You can do so by either thawing them in a fridge overnight or placing a package with frozen mussels in a bowl with warm water for 30 to 40 minutes.
Are frozen mussels precooked?
After all these years of cooking frozen mussels and being 100% sure they were raw, I finally realised they are actually precooked.
So I apologize in advance for any confusion, because for such a long period of time I was sure mussels were raw.
Therefore I was recommending to look for raw frozen mussels, which of course you're not going to find.
So, yes! Frozen mussels are cooked.
How to tell if they are cooked? - They usually have an orange-ish color.
What goes with Mussels for dinner?
French Style Mashed Potatoes - my favorite easy recipe for mashed potatoes. Creamy, fragrant and incredibly delicious.
Hasselback Potatoes - seriously, give these Swedish potatoes a try. Not difficult to make and they are so beautiful and yummy.
More Delicious and Quick Seafood MealsSeared Cod With Tomato-Caper Sauce - easy and healthy cod recipe that requires 5 ingredients! Mussels Pasta In A White Wine Sauce - delicious 30-minute recipe perfect for weeknight meal and special occasions. Cod Piccata - creamy, briny Piccata sauce with capers makes all the difference. You'll love this easy recipe for dinner. |
Friends, let me know if you tried mussels prepared like this before.
And if you didn't, I urge to do so ASAP. Because, believe me, they are absolutely delicious.
Best mussels recipe you'll be making again and again!
If you make this recipe, make sure to snap a photo and post it on Instagram with a hashtag #lavenderandmacarons.
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Garlic Mussels In Sour Cream Sauce
Ingredients
Instructions
- Heat olive oil in a medium skillet and on a medium heat.
- Add onion and cook stirring occasionally until translucent, about 5 minutes.
- Add mussels and cook stirring from time to time for 5 minutes. Stir in sour cream and garlic and continue cooking for another 2-3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
- Garnish with parsley.
- Enjoy!
Nutrition
Catherine Carr says
Hello Iryna, this recipe looks so delicious. Can you tell me how many servings the recipe makes? Is the nutrition break down based on 1 serving? Thanks Cathi
Iryna says
Hi Cathi! The recipe makes 2-3 servings and nutritional information is based on 1 serving. Hope this helps:)
Mary Mihaly says
I’m following a strict low-carb diet, so I don’t eat pasta. I have some frozen mussels and would love to try this recipe—can you suggest some low-carb pasta substitutes? Are here any veggies hat would work as a “bed”? Thanks!
Iryna says
Hi Mary! In terms of low carb pasta, I'm not a huge expert, but I found some low card pasta alternatives on amazon, if you want to take a look https://amzn.to/2Zg6Xzq, https://amzn.to/2NjgpzP. I think zucchini zoodles would work here as well.
And you can definitely throw in some extra veggies in this dish. Mussels pair beautifully with sauteed onions, carrots, zucchini, leeks or fennel. I actually have a similar recipe to this - Mussels with Garlic and Fennel (https://www.lavenderandmacarons.com/seafood/mussels-pasta-with-garlic-and-fennel/). You can omit the pasta in the end. Hope this helps:)
Mary Mihaly says
Hi Iryna--you're a genius! Zucchini noodles would be perfect with mussels. I'm not sure how well the sour cream will pair with the zucchini, but I think it will be fine. And I'm going to order the low-carb pastas from Amazon, too.
I'll report back about the sour cream/zucchini noodle dish. Thanks so much!
Mary
Iryna says
You're welcome! I hope you'll like this recipe:)
Val Price says
Dear Iryna,
Thanks a lot, I was searching for a recipe like that. Haven't tried it yet, but the recipe appears promising. I might try to mix mussels and shrimp (BTW, it definitely looks like a typical Ukrainian or Russian recipe, especially if you replace mussels with wild mushrooms). I specifically looked for frozen mussels because cooking live mussels makes me really uneasy (as you know, only live mussels are cooked, the dead ones should be discarded). Funny thing, when I lived in Ukraine some 40 years ago and spent my summer school breaks by Azov sea (Kirillovka) mussels were so plentiful and I've never seen anybody actually eating them.
Best regards,
Val (Maryland).
Iryna says
Dear Val! Thank you for your comment!
I hope you will like this recipe of frozen mussels! I've never been to Kirilovka but I too spent many summer school breaks by the sea (mostly Black sea). I don't remember frozen mussels being popular back then but a method of preparing seafood in sour cream was and still is enjoyable by many Ukrainians/Russians.
Mixing mussels and shrimp sounds like a great idea, especially since they both cook so fast:)
kath says
hello. the dish looks yummy! however can i use greek yoghurt as sour cream substitute? thanks
Iryna says
Hi Kath! I haven't made it with Greek Yogurt, but I think it should work just as fine. I would recommend using whole milk Greek yogurt.
Kathy says
Wonderful, thank you for posting this! I added a splash of white wine and red chili flakes and gobbled it up with warm crusty bread. This is company-worthy and I can't wait to make it again.
Iryna says
Thanks for your comment Kathy! I'm very glad you liked this recipe:)
Erika says
This is so funny! I live in Ukraine and found frozen mussels on sale the other day, so I bought them and wasn't sure what to do with them, as all of my experience has been cooking them in their shells. Of course, as is so often the case, сметана comes to the rescue! Very excited to try this tonight-- дякую!
Iryna says
Будь-ласка! Yes, we love smetana in Ukraine and it works out amazing with frozen mussels. I hope you'll like this recipe!:)
Marsha Reinbolt says
I bought this package of frozen, precooked mussels. I did not know what I was going to do with them, but I am from Maine and I love seafood, so I thought I would make some sort of pasta and mussel thing. So I thawed them out, put in fridge and started looking for recipes.. Came upon this one and it seemed easy. I t was.. and it was DELICIOUS. I will definitely make it again.. I did add a dash of white wine and a little of the pasta water and put it over fettucini. Next time I will add some capers. maybe!!
Thank you ..
Iryna says
Thank you for your comment Marsha! I'm very glad you liked the recipe! Frozen mussels in sour cream sauce pair great with pasta. And I love the idea of adding capers. Gonna try this next time too.
Jackie says
Silly questions I bought uncooked in shell mussels, am I able to cook them first or should I pry them open? Thank you
Iryna says
Jackie, if they are raw and shells are closed, you can steam them first for 5 minutes in a few tablespoons of olive oil until they are open and you're able to remove them from the shells. From there you can finish the mussels in a pan according to a recipe. Hope this helps.
Cassie says
After cooking them if any are still closed don't eat them. The ones that don't own are dead and can make you sick
Cindy says
Apologies if this is a dumb question, but I purchased some "New Zealand mussel meat" (not frozen, fresh in open shells) at my local international market. It doesn't say whether they're cooked or not - is there a way to tell? Some of the meat is orange in color. I put them in the freezer, and my second question is do I need to thaw them first or can I just cook them out of the freezer?
Can't wait to try this recipe!!
Iryna says
No worries! Frozen mussels without shells are usually partially cooked. And yes, I usually thaw them first. You can just place the bag with the mussels in a bowl with slightly warm water and they'll be defrosted pretty fast. Hope this helps.
Let me know how the recipe turns out.
Sonia C Cleveland says
Hi Iryna,
Thank you for this recipe. I just decided to purchase mussels today and looked up a recipe. It looks delicious. One thing, your picture shows much sauce, will this recipe produce this.
Thanks!
Iryna says
Hi Sonia!
Yes, 5 tbsp of sour cream should produce this amount of sauce. If you find that it's not enough, you can always add 1-2 more tablespoons. Hope this helps! Let me know how the recipe turned out:)
Erik says
This was so easy and so good. Thanks!
Iryna says
Thanks for your comment Erik! I'm so glad you liked this recipe!
Jack says
I already brought a package of frozen cooked mussels with shells. Will these work just as well?
Iryna says
If they are fully cooked, you can still saute them in sour cream with garlic, I would just cook them for 2-3 minutes maximum. You don't want the mussels to be overcooked.
CARL HOLDWAY says
I wish I read this first, I used cooked mussels thinking surely they don't need 5mins cooking? I haven't seen uncooked but shelled mussels in this Country (UK). The dish turned out just and has added to my repertoire of regular meals, so easy to cook my teenager could make it.
Iryna says
Carl, I'm so glad the recipe turned out fine and you liked it.
I'm in the US and I didn't know that US stores carry frozen uncooked mussels either till my husband bought them for me. Not all stores have them but most do. And when I lived in Ukraine, uncooked shelled mussels were quite popular too.
Sue R says
Oh my goodness that does look amazing and I don't even eat mussels lol. Maybe I would if I tried this. I know my husband would go crazy over it. I'm half Ukrainian by the way!
Iryna says
Oh, that's amazing! Happy to get to know fellow Ukrainian people!
This particular recipe is very popular in Ukraine. Give it a try and you might like it too;)
Jan Fitzgerald says
Morning Iryna!
0945 here outside Seattle.
Have everything to make your muscle recipe for my sweetie tonight.
YIPEEEE
What city in the Ukraine are you from?
Thanks
Jan
Iryna says
That's great Jan! I hope you will like this recipe, it's so easy to make.
In Ukraine I lived in Kiev, which is the capital.