Grandes moules « Braderie »

Nord-Pas de Calais (a region in Northern France)

For the mussels

Scrape and wash the mussels. Set aside in the refrigerator. Peel and cut the onion into mirepoix. Put the mussels and aromatics into a pan. Add the white wine and cook over high heat. As the mussels open, remove them from the pan and shell them while still hot. Strain the cooking liquid and set aside for the sabayon and the vinegar butter. Remove the onion mirepoix and set aside for frying later. Debeard all the mussels, reserve all the beards for frying. Divide the cooked mussels into three parts. The first part (0.070 kg) will be for the mussel puree. The second part (28 mussels) will be served in the shell. Keep the third part covered with a little of the mussel cooking liquid in a container covered with plastic wrap.

For the mussel puree

Pound the 0.070 kg of mussels to a smooth puree in a mortar and pestle. Add the Picallili mustard and a dash of aged wine vinegar. Add the chopped parsley. Adjust the seasoning. Keep warm.

For the potatoes

Brush, wash, and peel the potatoes, then dry them. Cut the potatoes so you have 8 thick-cut fries. Cut the rest into French fries. Rinse the French fries and set aside in a dry cloth. Precook the fries in a deep fryer at 140°C. After precooking, pat them dry on absorbent paper towels. Put the thick-cut potatoes into a casserole with the butter, season with salt, and cover with the beer. Cook, covered, in a convection oven at 220°C. Uncover halfway through cooking. When done, arrange the thick-cut potatoes on a rack and keep warm.

Preparing and cooking the sabayon

Make a sabayon with the egg yolks, Picallili mustard, and mussel cooking liquid. When done, emulsify it with clarified butter. Season with salt, freshly ground pepper, and cayenne pepper. Add a few drops of lemon juice. Keep warm.

For the vinegar butter

Reduce the mussel cooking liquid by half with the chopped shallot and a dash of vinegar. Strain and emulsify with butter. Check the seasoning. Set aside.

For the fried ingrédients

Fry the parsley tips and the sprigs of fresh thyme separately at 140°C. When done, salt and pat dry on absorbent paper towels. Make a batter with flour, water, and an ice cube. Dip the mussel beards in the batter and fry at 170°C. Do the same with the onion mirepoix. When done, salt and pat dry with paper towels. Set all the fries aside in a drying oven.

Finishing and serving

Finish cooking the fries at 180°C. When done, pat them dry and season with salt. Coat the mussels in their shells with vinegar butter. Using a small spatula, coat each thick-cut fry with the mussel purée. Drain the reserved mussels in their cooking liquid. Arrange one thick-cut fry, a few French fries, seven mussels in their shells, and seven whole mussels attractively on each plate. Make a little mound of the fried ingrédients and place two pots on each plate, one with the sabayon and one with the remaining mussel purée.