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A wide pot of glossy black mussels steamed open in white wine and garlic broth, with a small bowl of golden saffron aioli and grilled crusty bread on the side

Mussels with Saffron Aioli

Live mussels steamed in white wine, shallot, garlic and butter, served with a quick golden saffron aioli and crusty bread.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 8 minutes
aioli chilling 15 minutes
Total Time 38 minutes
Servings: 4 servings
Course: Appetizer
Cuisine: French, Mediterranean
Calories: 400
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Saffron aioli
  • 1/4 teaspoon saffron threads crumbled
  • 1 tablespoon hot water
  • 1/2 cup mayonnaise (115 g)
  • 1 small clove garlic finely grated
  • 1 teaspoon lemon juice
  • 1 pinch kosher salt
Mussels
  • 2 pounds live mussels scrubbed and debearded (900 g)
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 large shallot finely chopped
  • 4 cloves garlic thinly sliced
  • 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
  • 3/4 cup dry white wine (180 ml)
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter (28 g)
  • 2 tablespoons fresh parsley chopped
  • 1/2 lemon juiced
To serve
  • 1 crusty baguette sliced and toasted

Method
 

Saffron aioli
  1. Crumble the saffron into a small bowl, add the hot water and steep for 10 minutes.
  2. Stir the saffron and its liquid into the mayonnaise with the grated garlic, lemon juice and salt. Cover and refrigerate for at least 15 minutes.
Mussels
  1. Sort the mussels, discarding any with cracked shells or that stay open after a firm tap. Scrub and debeard them under cold running water.
  2. Heat the olive oil in a wide pot over medium heat. Cook the shallot for 2 minutes, then add the garlic and red pepper flakes for 30 seconds.
  3. Add the wine, raise the heat to high and bring to a boil. Add the mussels, cover tightly and steam for 5 to 7 minutes, shaking the pot once or twice, until the shells open.
  4. Transfer the opened mussels to a serving bowl and discard any that did not open. Swirl the butter, parsley and lemon juice into the broth and pour it over the mussels.
  5. Serve right away with the saffron aioli and toasted bread.

Notes

Safety: Discard mussels with cracked shells or that stay open before cooking, and any that stay closed after cooking.
From-scratch aioli: Whisk 1 pasteurized egg yolk with 1 teaspoon Dijon, the garlic and lemon, then slowly whisk in 1/2 cup neutral oil and 1/4 cup olive oil before adding the saffron.
Storage: Aioli keeps 4 days refrigerated. Leftover mussel meat keeps 1 to 2 days.
Nutrition is an estimate per serving, without bread.