There are few dishes that say "bistro" like a steaming pot of mussels with a pile of crispy fries. This one comes from Marta Domingos Freitas of Marta's Bistro: simple, fast, and built around a rich, garlicky white wine sauce you'll want to mop up with warm baguette.

Marta Domingos Freitas of Marta's Bistro — Marta's Bistro, whose moules-frites ran as the recipe page of the June 2026 Food and Beverage edition.

Bistro-Style Mussels and Fries

As it ran in the June 2026 Food and Beverage edition.

Ingredients

Nine, start to finish

1 kg mussels (cleaned, beards removed)
2 tbsp olive oil
2 shallots, small diced
2 cloves garlic, sliced
1 tsp salt
½ cup white wine
2 tbsp butter
1 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
Fries, cooked and crispy (for serving)

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Method

Heat the olive oil in a large lidded pan over medium heat and cook the shallots until soft, then add the garlic and cook briefly until fragrant.
Add the mussels, salt, and white wine, cover with a lid, and steam for 5–7 minutes until the mussels open, discarding any that remain closed.
Remove from the heat and stir in the butter and chopped parsley until melted and combined.
Serve immediately with hot, crispy fries and plenty of warm, crusty baguette for dipping into the rich, garlicky white wine sauce.

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A free one-page PDF of this recipe, made to cook from.

Recipe by Marta Domingos Freitas — @martasbistro.