Belgian Fries and Mussels AKA Moules Frites

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1. unitedcuisines October 1, 2021

   Marinated mussels served with big crispy fries seem to be Belgium’s national dish. The mussel season just started in Europe and we took a chance on making Moules Frites at home. Turns out, it’s not as difficult as thought, but tastes better than anticipated, for I usually am not a big fan of mussels.

   **Enjoy the recipe and** [**United Cuisines on YouTube!**](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fxzYaCMICGw)

   INGREDIENTS:

   *Classic Belgian mussels*

   – 1 onion

   – fresh mussels [3 lb / 1.4 kg]

   – butter [2.5 oz / 70 g]

   – 1 branch of celery

   – ground black pepper [1/2 tbsp / 5 g]

   – pinch of salt

   – a handful of parsley (optional)

   *Crispy Belgian fries*

   – mealy, high-starch potatoes, such as Bintje [1 lb / 450 g]

   – rendered beef fat/tallow [1.1 lb / 500 g]

   Servings: 2

   INSTRUCTIONS

   *Belgian “mosselen natuur”*

   1. Wash and clean mussels in cold water. Remove their “beards”/fibers, place them in a bowl with water and set aside. INFO: Fresh mussels are still alive and should be closed. Tap them against each other, when open and they should close. If not, discard them, together with those whose shells are broken
   2. Dice onions and celery. Chop parsley
   3. Use (enamel) pots with handles and high sides. Place over medium heat, melt the butter and sauté the diced onion and celery for around 5 minutes
   4. Mix in the ground black pepper and increase the heat to high
   5. Grab as many mussels as you can by hand and quickly transfer them into the pot. Don’t fully drain the water!
   6. Give your mussels a good mix, distributing the veggies among them, put on the lid and let cook over for 7 minutes. The mussels closest to the pot’s bottom, will open up and cook first. Hence, it’s important that you mix your mussels by shaking the pot without opening its lid. Do this 3x in those 7 minutes of cooking
   7. The mussels should have all opened up and be cooked by now. Turn off the heat, mix in the parsley and keep the lid on, whilst we prepare your Belgian fries of your Moules Frites! INFO: Don’t eat mussels that didn’t open. Discard them!

   *Belgian fries*

   1. Wash and peel the potatoes, before cutting them into 11-12mm [0.45 inch] thick fries. Transfer into a cold water bath and let soak for 30 minutes
   2. Drain the fries, spread them over a baking sheet, that you covered with some kitchen towels and properly dab your potatoes dry. INFO: Belgian fries shall be fried twice: once on low and once on high temperature.
   3. Place the beef tallow into a deep pot and let melt over medium-high heat
   4. Once the oil temperature hits 140°C [280°F], drop the first batch of fries in there. Don’t overcrowd the pot and mix well right away. Let fry for 5 minutes
   5. The surface of your fries will turn a bit white-ish in color: those are burst starch granules that start to gelatinize. Now it’s time to get them out of the hot oil, drain and place them on paper towels on your baking sheet, where they shall cool down for 20 minutes. Fry the other batches while you wait, or take the pot off the heat
   6. Once fries cooled down, bring up the oil’s temperature up to around 190°C [370°F], put one pre-fried batch in, and immediately give them a short stir. Fry for 3-5 minutes, till the potatoes start to slightly float and golden in color
   7. When the potatoes are done, drain and transfer them into a bowl, covered with kitchen paper and immediately salt before mixing them
   8. Enjoy! Bon appétit and eet smakelijk [French and Dutch are spoken in Belgium]

   Folks, I embarked on a mission to home-cook culinary treasures from around the world. **If you are into food and enjoy my content, your support of any kind is much appreciated, for United Cuisines can’t reach its goals without you!**

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