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Bon Appétit

Mussels with Fennel and Lovage

By René Redzepi
Image may contain Plant Human Person Food Dish and Meal
Mussels with Fennel and LovageDitte Isager

When gooseberries are in season, Redzepi juices them to flavor this dish. Verjus (a tart bottled juice made from unripe grapes) or a combination of white grape juice and cider vinegar make great substitutes.

Recipe information

  • Yield

    Makes 6 servings

Ingredients

4 pounds mussels, scrubbed, debearded
1 fennel bulb, trimmed, cut into 1" cubes or thinly sliced
1 cup verjus (or 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar and 3/4 cup white grape juice)
1/3 cup dry white wine
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, cut into 1/2" pieces
1 cup lovage leaves or celery leaves, divided
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Ingredient info: Verjus is available at specialty foods stores, chefshop.com, and terrasonoma.com.

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Heat a large heavy pot over high heat until very hot. Add mussels, fennel, verjus, and wine. Cover and cook, stirring frequently, until mussels fully open (discard any that do not open). Using a slotted spoon, transfer mussels and fennel to a serving platter.

    Step 2

    Simmer liquid in pot for 1 minute; whisk in butter and 1/2 cup lovage leaves. Season to taste with salt and pepper (and additional vinegar if using grape juice). Spoon over mussels, leaving any sediment behind. Garnish mussels with remaining 1/2 cup lovage leaves and serve immediately.

TagsMusselShellfishSeafoodFennelRoot VegetableVegetableGrapeFruitCeleryMainDinnerGluten FreeNut FreeQuickEasySimmerBon Appétit

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