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!
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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
Rose says
Bland just plain bland no ty sorry
JANE RITCHUK says
Made this last night for dinner and my hubby (ukrainian BTW) liked it a lot. Very nice for a change. Served with mashed potato & cauliflower. Will make it again!
Iryna says
Jane, thank you so much for your comment and a 5-star rating! I'm happy you and your husband enjoyed this recipe!