Saffron Mussel Sauce

Saffron Mussel Sauce is a modern British recipe for a classic rich shellfish sauce of a shallot, garlic, white wine, cream and saffron base with mussel meats that is typically served with fish and seafood. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic British version of: Saffron Mussel Sauce.

prep time

20 minutes

cook time

25 minutes

Total Time:

45 minutes

Serves:

Rating:

Tags : Sauce Recipes Spice Recipes Vegetable Recipes British Recipes

This is a rather posh shellfish sauce to be served with fish (its particularly good with meaty fish such as tuna, sea bass and swordfish) that is based on the shellfish sauces of the Victorian period.

Ingredients:

10 mussels, cleaned and de-bearded (be sure to discard any mussels that do not close when tapped as they are dead)
2 tbsp olive oil
2 shallots, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, crushed
3 tbsp white wine
3 tbsp double cream
pinch of saffron threads
salt and freshly-ground black pepper, to taste

Method:

Place the mussels in a saucepan and cover with a tight-fitting lid. Steam over high heat for about 4 minutes, shaking the pan occasionally, until the mussels have opened. Take off the heat and set aside to cool. When cold enough to handle, pick the mussels out of their shells and set aside.

Heat the olive oil in a small pan over medium heat. Add the shallots and garlic and fry gently for 5 minutes, or until soft and translucent. Pour in the white wine then increase the heat to high and bring to a boil. Boil for about 1 minute, or until the volume has reduced by half.

Now reduce the heat and stir in the double cream. Crumble in the saffron and mix to combine. Bring to a simmer and cook gently, stirring occasionally, for five minutes. When ready to serve, stir in the mussel meat and allow to heat thoroughly.

Adjust the seasonings to taste and serve spooned over your favourite fish.