MOULES MARINIERES

Ingredients

1.5kg live mussels
25g butter
1 onion, very finely chopped
1 garlic clove, chopped
200ml white wine
pinch saffron (optional)
3 tbsp crème fraîche
4 tbsp finely chopped parsley

Method

1 Clean the mussels and discard any that are broken or stay open when tapped. Heat the butter in a large pan, add the onion and garlic, cook very gently for 10 minutes until softened. Add the wine and saffron, bring to the boil and bubble until reduced by half.

2 Add the mussels, cover and cook over a high heat for 2-3 minutes, shaking the pan occasionally until all the mussels have opened. Discard any that remain closed. Stir in the crème fraîche, scatter with parsley and serve.

Tip: the broth for the mussels can also be made using dry cider, which could work out cheaper.