Growing up, I went to the Jersey Shore during the summer, unlike my fellow DMVers who would flock to Bethany, DE or Ocean City, MD. My mother is from Philadelphia and we shared a house with her side of the family in Long Beach Island “LBI”. And no, it is not the Jersey Shore like that MTV show from back in the day that bastardized that state’s coast line. It’s a wonderful, beautiful and peaceful place.. Simple wood framed homes with pebbled lawns to Victorian establishments with grassed yards that transition to pale yellow shorelines. The sunsets have vast colors of yellow, orange, and red that it is hard to describe. Long boulevards that have surf shops, ice cream parlors, mini putt putt courses, arcades, and outstanding restaurants of burger and seafood shacks. When I think of the beach, this is it.
This island was my home every summer until a few years ago. COVID ruined everything for everyone.
LBI has some of the best shellfish on the east coast, but well known for its scallops. The best in the country, some say. My family and I used to frequent a restaurant called Harvey Cedars Shellfish Co. It is a family run shack that’s been going strong since the 80s and our favorite dish, by far, is the white wine mussels. We used to B-line to place like a heat seeking missile for a pot of those mussels.
The broth is pure gold. The amount of bread we used to go through, mopping up that pot of liquid alchemy, was pure insanity. The secret why the broth was so good, a server told us in secret once, is A LOT of butter. How French of them.
Our family’s house is gone but I recreate a bit of nostalgia every summer by making a pot of white wine mussels. That smell of mollusks bathing in white wine and butter brings back every time to Harvey Cedars. I can’t help but grin ear to ear with every bite and smell of this pot.
| Ingredient | Quantity |
|---|---|
| Mussels | 4 Pounds |
| White Wine | 4 Cups |
| Parsley, minced | 1 Bunch |
| Shallot, minced | 1 |
| Parmesan, coarsely grated | 2 Cups |
| Lemon’s Juice | 1 |
| Butter | 2 Sticks |
| Olive Oil | ¼ Cup |
| French Baguette, sliced | 1 |
| Directions |
|---|
| If you want to toast the bread, slice the baguette and preheat the oven to 400 F. Brush the slices with olive oil and toast on each side for 10-12 minutes until golden brown. Honestly, you don’t need to toast the bread. It’s a preference to people sometimes but I find that using untoasted bread mops up the broth more. |
| Thoroughly wash the mussels in a strainer. Use a brush to wash the shells, if you have one. |
| Mince the 1 shallot and 1 bunch of parsley. With a cheese grater, shave 2 cups the parmesan on the side with the largest holes. |
| Warm a tall pot on medium heat with 1.5 sticks of butter and ¼ cup of olive oil. Sauté the minced shallot for 3-5 minutes until translucent and fragrant. Pour the 4 cups of white wine, squeeze the 1 lemon’s juice, put in half of the minced parsley, mix, and bring to a boil on medium-high heat for 5 minutes with the lid on. Add the mussels and mix using a serving spoon. Boil for 5-8 minutes until the shells open up. A couple minutes before completion, add almost all of the shredded parmesan, leaving enough for garnishing, and mix. Once done, take the pot off heat, add the remaining ½ stick of butter, and mix. |
| In a large bowl, pour the mussels. Garnish with the remaining parmesan and parsley. |
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