Moules Frites

[begpie]

does anyone know were moules frites comes from?is it belgium or france,we have quite a disussion at work so if you guys can help me out here please!

[fresh_a]

Belgium I guess, seeing that they seem to have the distinction of inventing the "frite" as well, but many countries eat mussels in various forms..Here are a few links!

Incidentally, I was surprised to find that there is no hardcore niche food blogger out there with a million words on the subject...

does anyone know were moules frites comes from?is it belgium or france,we have quite a disussion at work so if you guys can help me out here please!

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Edited May 27, 2008 by fresh_a (log)

[Ptipois]

Moules-frites are undoubtedly Belgian in origin but the specialty seemed to trickle down from the coast of Flanders (of which both Belgium and France hold one part) and along the Channel and Atlantic coast to Normandy and Brittany, where very delicious moules-frites may also be had.

According to a certain school of food historians, frites are actually Breton in origin (though I have nothing to back this idea). However it is interesting to note that some harbor and beach cafés-restaurants in Brittany hold on to their ancestral sauce recipe for moules-frites maison that they won't give anybody. So it is a tradition there too.

[olivier]

Moules-frites are undoubtedly Belgian in origin but the specialty seemed to trickle down from the coast of Flanders (of which both Belgium and France hold one part) and along the Channel and Atlantic coast to Normandy and Brittany, where very delicious moules-frites may also be had.

According to a certain school of food historians, frites are actually Breton in origin (though I have nothing to back this idea). However it is interesting to note that some harbor and beach cafés-restaurants in Brittany hold on to their ancestral sauce recipe for moules-frites maison that they won't give anybody. So it is a tradition there too.

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By the way, any recommended place to get some good "moules-frites" in Paris?

[fresh_a]

Nothing great, although you could always try the McDonald's of moules frites, Léon de Bruxelles

Edited May 30, 2008 by fresh_a (log)

[Ptipois]

(Léon de Bruxelles, um...)

A tip: some beer pubs in Paris do serve decent moules-frites. Here's a couple of good ones:

Bar Belge, 75 avenue de Saint-Ouen, 01 46 27 41 01.

Académie de la Bière, 88 bis, boulevard de Port-Royal, 01.43.54.66.65.

It is also a brasserie dish and may be proposed as a today's special, in that case don't miss it: it will generally be superiorly made.

That applies to any large or small brasserie or corner café that serves food, sometimes they have "Moules frites" on the chalkboard or daily menu and that is rarely disappointing. Since it isn't a native Parisian dish, it is good news if they bothered to make it. Académie de la Bière has a daily mussel delivery.

Not that it can compete with moules frites in Belgium (especially in Ostende) but it will be good.

As far as moules-frites go, the traditional moules-frites region extends to the North of France (Pas-de-Calais and Somme). My best memories of moules-frites include one small restaurant in Lille, near the train station. In Belgium you should head for the coast (I mentioned Ostende) but there's an outstanding moules-frites restaurant in Bruges. Superior moules-frites can also be had, as I wrote above, along the coasts of Picardie, Normandy and Brittany. In the two latter cases they use small Norman or Breton moules de bouchot, which are IMO tastier than most Belgian mussels.

Edited May 31, 2008 by Ptipois (log)

[Katie Meadow]

Could someone clarify a description of moules frites? I assume it is the mussels version of steak frites--that is, essentially two separate dishes served simultaneously: basically mussels in broth with a side of frites. We have a likeable bistro that serves a nice bowl of steamed mussels in a broth of (I think) white wine, herbs and a splash of pernod. The frites, ordered separately, are thin and crispy (if you ask for them well-done) and come with a yummy aioli for dipping. Our mussels in the Bay Area are not as plump or flavorful as ones I have eaten around Puget Sound (farmed Penn Cove) or those on the east coast (Prince Edward Is) or those in Venice (no side of frites there!) My husband waxes poetic about the mussels he had many years ago on the north coast of France. In my mind, if the quality of the mussels is tops and the broth fragrant and not too salty and the fries perfectly crispy and tasting like real potatoes and the aoili freshly made.....it's a perfect meal. Great with wine or brew. Aww, I'm making myself sad.

[Ptipois]

Moules-frites is a dish composed of 1) steamed mussels (prepared à la marinière or any way derived from that simple preparation) and 2) a side of frites, indeed.

The simple basic recipe called moules marinière is prepared this way: scrape, sort and rinse mussels. Put them in a large Dutch oven or saucepan (either vessel should have a tight-fitting lid), adding a couple of chopped shallots or 1 sliced onion, a bit of minced garlic if you wish, a splash of white wine, freshly ground pepper and a bouquet garni of thyme, bay leaf and parsley stalks. Cover, place on high heat for about 5 minutes, shaking the pan from time to time without removing the lid. When all mussels are open, remove from fire. The resulting broth is obtained from the white wine and the rendered mussel juice.

A less simple marinière may be obtained through sautéing the onions, shallots, garlic, etc., in a little butter until translucent, adding the white wine and other aromatics, then the mussels, and steaming in the same manner. Some like it this way, some the other way.

This is what forms the basis of moules marinière with frites. The addition of mayonnaise or any mayo-based sauce on the side is often done in Belgium, rarely in France, except in Belgian-owned restaurants.

In Belgium there are many variations of this dish. In Brussels it is called "complet bruxellois" and the marinière often contains celery leaves or chopped celery, and is often based on beer instead of white wine. The best version of moules-frites is to be found in Ostend, where it can be a complicated affair (described by Alan Davidson in his book North Atlantic Seafood) or, to the contrary, the simplest version possible, as shown on this picture from my blog, taken at the Stadt Kortrijk restaurant:

As you see, the mussels are steamed with curly parsley stalks and nothing else. No shallots, no onions, no other herbs, no nothing. Best mussels on Earth though.

The picture above shows an order of moules-frites at Stadt Kortrijk. The fries, served on the side, are hand-cut and wonderfully crispy and melting. Of course in other places, including French restaurants, they will often serve frozen precut fries on the side, which makes a lot of difference. Served with proper hand-cut fries, made with good mussels with proper (even if simple) seasoning, moules-frites can be a heavenly dish.

In France, apart from the simple moules marinières recipe, you may get variations on the basic pattern. Here are the most frequent options:

- Moules au curry (curried mussels). Not of Indian origin but part of a French tradition (early 19th century) of cooking seafood with cream sauces flavored with curry powder. This probably dates back earlier, from the days of the Compagnie des Indes Orientales (based in Lorient, where curry powder may be bought from pharmacies), but really took off in the 19th. Some curry sauces for mussels are so famous that (as i wrote above) some Breton chefs won't give away their recipes, handed through generations, to anyone. When you find several moules-frites specialties on a menu in France, there is always a "moules au curry" option. I suppose the Belgian school of mussel history will point out that moules au curry have been made in Belgium since times immemorial and I will not argue on that, for the history of mussel cookery is a complicated one anyway.

- Moules à la crème. This is more a Norman than a Breton variation, given the love of Normans for their thick, naturally-fermented cream. It is no more than a basic dish of moules marinières with a ladleful of cold Norman cream added on top. Period.

- Moules provençale. Here the marinière is more elaborate, mussels being steamed open in a sauce of tomatoes, onions, garlic, herbs and olive oil. White wine optional. No cream whatsoever on this. The moules provençale may become moules basquaise if a proportion of pimiento or piment d'Espelette is added. Note that the sauce has to be prepared in the pan before the raw mussels are added to be steamed open. Lazy restaurateurs will only make some moules marinière and throw a few spoonfuls of ready-made sauce tomate or sauce provençale on top. This is not a nice thing to do.

- Moules au roquefort. Much nicer than it sounds. The sauce has to be prepared after the mussels are steamed. Most of the time, it is a basic cream sauce (slightly bound with flour) with crumbled roquefort added, then the whole thing is poured over the mussels.

Edited May 31, 2008 by Ptipois (log)

[Margaret Pilgrim]

Thanks, Pti. Definitive, as usual.

[fresh_a]

Pti, I did say the "McDonalds of moules frites"...

[olivier]

(Léon de Bruxelles, um...)

A tip: some beer pubs in Paris do serve decent moules-frites. Here's a couple of good ones:

Bar Belge, 75 avenue de Saint-Ouen, 01 46 27 41 01.

Académie de la Bière,  88 bis, boulevard de Port-Royal, 01.43.54.66.65.

Both seem to have a decent, albeit pricey, beer selection, which is a big plus in my book: if the mussels are up to it, that's a really good tip!

Superior moules-frites can also be had, as I wrote above, along the coasts of Picardie, Normandy and Brittany. In the two latter cases they use small Norman or Breton moules de bouchot, which are IMO tastier than most Belgian mussels.

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Well, I've been "raised" with moules de bouchot during the 25 years I spent in Calvados, and indeed, I'm not sure I would want to taste any other kind of mussel. And I'm not the conservative kind of guy usually... never tasted Picardie mussels, though.

All in all great advice, thank you!

[John Talbott]

I'm delighted that this topic has generated as much interest as it has, in part because moules are one of the dishes I think of as the most reliable and that Colette does to perfection and Pti has described so well (what would we do without you Pti?) and are usually safe fallbacks in a situation where one has to order defensively. But, like Fresh_a and others, I think they can be distastrous, vide my meal today, which I will soon be posting. Great tomato sauce, moules - awful product, potatoes pathetic.

[Dave Hatfield]

My love affair with M/F started back in the 60's when we first lived in Brussels. I still love them when they are well & properly done.

Best Brussels memories are:

- The motorized frite stand that uses to come to our neighbourhood square three nights a week. The children from local families would line up with their large bowls to get the fries for the family's meal. I like to think that Mom was home doing the moules.

- Going to restaurants with my two daughters, then aged 4 & 6, and ordering full portions of Moules - frites for them. Then watching the waiters be very amused by this crazy American family ordering too much for the children, then turning to amazement as these two little mites proceeded to scarf up their whole portions using their 1st moule shell as pincers as any good Belgian child would.

We are fortunate that our summer cafe by the local lake is run by a Belgian couple. Every so often they will do a special moule - frites night. Its always crowded.