White Wine Steamed Mussels with Fennel & Sausage

Chop, sautee, and simmer your way into deliciousness! Vin Vino Wines owner and site host Lisa Robins shares her favorite mussel recipe and wine pairing. Dig in!

Ingredients:

1 1/2 lb. Mussels, Scrubbed

½ lb. Mild Italian Sausage, casing removed

1-2 tbs. Olive Oil

½ Cup Yellow Onion, ¼ in. dice

½ Cup Red Bell Pepper, ¼ in. dice

¾ Cup Fennel Bulb, ¼ in. dice

½ tsp. Red Pepper Flake

1-2 cloves garlic, minced

1 cu. White Wine

2 tbs. Parsley, chopped

Method:

1. Warm 1 tbs. olive oil over medium-high heat in a large, lidded sauce pan or medium Dutch oven.

2. Brown the Sausage, breaking it up, until it is just cooked through. You should have a nice brown fond on the pan. If anything starts to burn, lower the heat a bit.

3. Remove the sausage and set aside.

4. Add more olive oil if needed along with the onion, bell pepper, fennel and red pepper flake. Sauté until the vegetables are starting to soften, about 5 minutes.

5. Add in white wine and bring to a hard simmer. Reduce by half.

6. Add the sausage back to the mixture, add the mussels to the pan and cover.

7. Cook covered until almost all the mussels are open. Remove from heat, stir in parsley and discard any unopened mussels. Serve in bowls with crusty bread for dipping.

This recipe will work with nearly any riff on the ingredients. Substitute freely!

Wine Pairing:

These mussels want a richer style of Rosé or white wine; something that will stand up to the bold flavors here. We love Bandol Rosé with seafood but turn to something local in the same vein. Liquid Farm Rosé of Mourvèdre ‘Vogelzang Vineyard,’ Happy Canyon (Santa Barbara) $28 is perfect. (Mourvèdre is the main grape in most Bandol Rosé.) Lightly salmon-colored with lush peach skin and bright cherry flavors accented by a bit of spice. Ther is also a bit of red wine earthiness here that plays beautifully with the sausage. This is textured, mid-weight Rosé. The finish is perfectly balanced with just a touch of saline minerality.