Mussels with Wine Sauce on Creamy Polenta

Name: Mussels with Wine Sauce on Creamy Polenta
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 35 min
Yield: 6 cups
Ingredients: 4 cups chicken broth; 1 cup polenta; 1/2 teaspoon salt; 2 ounces goat cheese; 2 tablespoons chicken broth; 10 ounces sliced portobello mushrooms; 2 large portobello mushrooms (sliced thinly); 10 ounces baby spinach (one package); 1/4 teaspoon salt; 2 teaspoons garlic paste (or 2 cloves of garlic); 2 tablespoons butter; 1/4 cup chicken broth; 1/8 cup dry white wine; 5 ounces mussels (pre-packaged without shells); 1 teaspoon dried basil

Last updated on January 23, 2020. Originally posted on June 4, 2018 By Elaine 36 Comments

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This mussels with wine sauce on creamy polenta recipe is so good that your taste buds are going to do the cha-cha in celebration!!

We go to a fabulous restaurant on Main Street in our small town. It is well known in our area and regularly awarded for its seafood, which is surprising because, even though we’re near the coast, we’re basically landlocked. When Christopher and I want to celebrate, we go to this restaurant for its delicious food and cocktails.

We love to sit at the bar. That’s where they shuck oysters and cook lovely appetizers like mussels and steamers. I’ve watched them like a hawk as they prepare sea food. They have an amazing cooking station behind the bar. There is a line of cooking pans with levers that tip their finished products into dishes and bowls. There are water faucets above the cooking pans to wash them after each batch.

I created this recipe in honor of that restaurant.

I’ve never made steamed mussels or clams! How do I do it?

Cooking clams, mussels is pretty much a matter of steaming them out of their shells, so that part is easy.

Do I have to buy mussels in their shells?

No. Although you can make this delightful recipe with fresh mussels in the shell, I love the convenience of using shucked mussels, which also changes the cooking method and shortens the time.

What gives mussels and steamed clams their flavor?

The liquid they’re steamed in contribute a great deal of flavor to mussels and clams. The restaurant I mention above uses chicken broth, butter, herbs and wine. The broth, which they serve for dipping, is so good you could drink it. But Christopher and I try to be circumspect and just soak it up with their fabulous dinner rolls.

Clarified butter also makes shellfish pretty delicious.

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How to make mussels with wine sauce

TIP: Prepare the rest of the meal as you’re cooking the polenta, so that everything is finished at roughly the same time.

Step one

Gather the polenta and chicken broth. (1)

Step two

Pour broth into a saucepan and bring it to a boil. Add the polenta and cook for 20 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes. Add goat cheese and let it melt for another 5 minutes.

Step three

Gather the mussels whether you are using packaged (which I love) or fresh. Also get out the spinach and mushrooms. (2)

Step four

Heat a wok or sauté pan on medium and add some chicken broth, the sliced mushrooms, garlic paste and salt. Sauté for 5 minutes and add spinach and stir until the spinach is wilted. (4)

Step five

Dollop some polenta on plates. (4)

Step six

While the polenta is cooking: Since the mussels are pre-cooked, I heat them up in a sauté pan. Heat the pan on medium, add butter, broth, wine and mussels and sauté for 5 minutes. If you are using mussels in shells, they will be done once the shells open. (5)

Step seven

Spoon the vegetables and the mussels on the polenta.

Mussels with wine sauce on creamy polenta from above!

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I hope you enjoyed this mussels with wine sauce recipe!

Please feel free to leave me a comment. Is there a restaurant you love whose recipes you’ve ever tried to recreate? If so, how did it go? I’d love to know. And if you leave me a comment, please take the time to rate the recipe, as well! I really appreciate it!

And as always, may all your dishes be delish!

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