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Moules Marinières

Name: Moules Marinières
Prep time: 10 min
Total time: 20 min
Cuisine: French
Ingredients: 3 lbs fresh mussels, scrubbed and debearded; 1 cup dry white wine; 3 shallots, minced; 3 cloves garlic, minced; 3 tbsp unsalted butter; 1/4 cup flat-leaf parsley, chopped; 3 sprigs thyme; 1 bay leaf; 1/2 tsp black pepper; 1 loaf crusty bread, for serving

Moules Marinières reads umami 5.5, marine & briny 5.5 and allium 4.3 on Palate's 0–10 flavor X-ray — a French main, about 20 min. Measured from the recipe itself: ingredients and technique.

The flavor X-ray — six axes, 0–10

Umami & Savory — 6.8 / 10
Sweet & Fruity — 3.4 / 10
Sour & Bright — 3.8 / 10
Bitter & Earthy — 1.4 / 10
Rich & Fat — 4.3 / 10
Aromatic & Spice — 4.8 / 10

The measured notes (of 18)

Umami 5.5 · Marine & Briny 5.5 · Allium 4.3 · Salinity 4.3 · Richness 4.1 · Fruity 2.9 · Citrus 2.9 · Sourness 2.8 · Herbaceous 2.5 · Funk & Ferment 2.4 · Floral 1.8 · Warm Spice 1.5 · Sweetness 1.5 · Earthy 1.3 · Heat 0.9 · Bitterness 0.8

What's in it (10)

3 lbs fresh mussels, scrubbed and debearded
1 cup dry white wine
3 shallots, minced
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 tbsp unsalted butter
1/4 cup flat-leaf parsley, chopped
3 sprigs thyme
1 bay leaf
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 loaf crusty bread, for serving

Time & effort: about 20 min (10 min active) · effort: medium

Nutrition (per 100 g, engine-estimated): 93.1 kcal, 9.4 g protein, 3.6 g fat, 6.9 g carbs

Dietary: Contains meat · Contains seafood — engine-derived; double-check anything allergy-critical.

How it's cooked (3 steps)

Sweat shallots and garlic in butter, then add wine, thyme, and bay leaf and bring to a boil.
Add scrubbed mussels, cover, and steam over high heat for 3-4 minutes until all have opened.
Scatter over fresh parsley and serve in the pot with crusty bread to soak up the broth.

Dishes with a similar flavor shape

Cioppino-Style Seafood Stew — Italian-American
Seafood Cioppino — Italian-American
Salada de Polvo — Portuguese
Curanto en Olla (Pulmay) — Chilean
Bouillabaisse — French

Keep reading: what umami, marine & briny, allium mean in the flavor lexicon · the world's cuisines, by flavor.

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Every number above is Palate's engine-measured estimate, computed from this recipe's ingredients and techniques — not human-tasted ratings or reviews.