Moules Frites/Mussels with French Fries and Homemade Aioli

Moules Frites (moule et frites), aka mussels and French fries/chips is a classic dish, a wee bit special, quick and easy to make, and super tasty too with my homemade aioli.

Moules Frites

I adore mussels, I guess that’s what coming from a town called Musselburgh does for you. My hometown was once famous for its mussel beds, alas now long gone.

Anyway like many people I always thought Moules Frites hailed from France and I have eaten the dish there many times. But apparently, Belgium holds the crown on this one, with moules frites originating there, much to the annoyance of the French.

Mussels as aphrodisiacs

I’m sharing this recipe for Valentine’s Day really. Mussels, like oysters and clams are thought to be an aphrodisiac food. Now calm down, don’t get over excited. It just means that they contain D-aspartic acid and NMDA compounds. Sounds good enough to me and enough to warrant me getting to use my favourite Moules Frites recipe today.

There is also that whole thing about foods that you eat with your fingers and get all messy. Make a big batch of these moules frites and get in there and share and be messy!

Mussels

Moules Frites (mussels and chips) is one of the national dishes of Belgium. No wonder when you think that over 60,000 tonnes of mussels are consumed annually in that one little country. 

Once something extremely cheap considered the poor man’s meat they are now a popular seafood all over the world.

Once regarded as the poor relation of the shellfish family because of their small size and relative abundance, mussels are now very popular and fairly cheap to buy.

The most common blue or European mussels have shiny dark blueish shells and contain a tender and nutritious flesh. Most mussels found in the supermarkets are farmed and are sustainable.

Mussels are healthy, being low in calories (yeah!) and high in protein and vitamin C.

When are mussels in season?

Mussels are in season from October to March, but you’ll find them in supermarkets all year round nowadays.

How to choose mussels

You want to use the best quality mussels for your moules frites so avoid mussels that are chipped, broken or have damaged shells. Fresh mussels should always to be tightly closed.

How many mussels do you need for this moules frites recipe?

I always allow about 500g of mussels per person for a main meal, and half that amount for a starter or for use in pastas or soups.

How to prepare and clean mussels

Mussels are really easy to use but you just have to clean them properly first. Scrub the mussels in cold water to remove barnacles or sand.

Discard any that float to the top, these mussels are off, so don’t use them!

Give any open mussels a sharp tap with a knife, and discard any that fail to close (they are dead).

Remove the ‘beard’ which is a fibrous clump of hairs that sprouts from the shell. You can do this simply by giving it a sharp tug towards the hinge end of the mussel.

Place cleaned mussels in a fresh bowl of cold water until ready to use. Change this water two or three times to remove any salt or sand that may come out of the mussels.

Frites/Fries/chips

The chips or frites in this recipe are also something that causes confusion. People tend to think that French Fries come from France when actually they too are Belgian, go figure!

Apparently during WW1 the American troops who were stationed there actually thought they were in part of France as the people in that area spoke French.

They served their potatoes in sticks and fried them and called them frites. The soldiers loved these fries and thinking they were in France the French Fry was born!

Aoili

I like to serve my Moules Frites with garlicy Aioli rather than normal Mayonnaise. Here is my recipe for homemade Aioli. For me it just ramps up all those gorgeous flavours of the mussels and of course it’s just perfect for dipping those fries into.

But maybe you’ll want to go with a simple Mayonnaise since it’s for Valentine’s Day and you don’t want to stink of garlic. There again if you are both eating the garlicy Aioli who gives a damn.

So here is my homemade foolproof mayonnaise recipe. Because we all know homemade is always best!

Ingredients for Moules Frites

• 1 kilo of mussels
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 onion chopped
• 2 cloves garlic minced
• Handful of flat leaf parsley chopped
• 150ml dry white wine
• 1 tbsp creme fraiche

Frites

• 2 large potatoes peeled and cut into thick chips
• 3 tbsp plain flour
• 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
• oil for deep frying

How to make moules frites

• Clean the mussels in cold water and scrub off the beards. Discard any opened mussels. (see notes on preparing mussels above)
• Heat oil in a large saucepan and saute the onion for 2 minutes then add the onion for 1 minute
• Toss in the mussels put the lid on
• Cook for 2 minutes and shake the pan well
• Add the dry white wine and cook for a further 2 minutes
• Scoop out the mussels and add creme fraiche to the liquid in the pan and reduce by half
• Add the mussels back to the pan and the parsley and then serve

Frites

• Heat oil in a high sided pan
• Mix flour with cayenne pepper and toss the chips in this mixture
• Deep fry till crisp and golden
• Toss in a little more cayenne and salt mix to serve

So there you have it. My super simple Moules Frites recipe, something easy to make with a bit of Ooh la la for Valentine’s Day.

Looking for more easy recipes that would be perfect for a Valentine’s supper? Then check these out before you go;

One pan chicken cacciatore

Salmon and pesto roll-ups

Basque chicken (poulet basquese)

Spicy seafood arrabbiata

Scottish scallops with crowdie cheese and bacon

Finally, if you do try this recipe don’t forget to leave a comment/star rating below as I just love to hear from readers. Want more Larder Love? Then follow me on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest and Twitter and sign up for my newsletter too of course.