Dishes · A classic of Norman · The Cotentin and the Channel coast

Moules à la normande

Also Mussels in cider and cream, Moules normandes

Mussels steamed open in cider with shallots and butter, the juices finished with crème fraîche.

What makes it moules à la normande

  • Dry Norman cider as the cooking liquid.
  • Shallots and butter.
  • Crème fraîche stirred into the juices once the mussels open.

Where it comes from

It's moules marinière made the Norman way: cider in place of white wine, and crème fraîche stirred into the cooking liquor at the end. Mussels are farmed on stakes and ropes along the Norman coast, and wild ones from Barfleur have their own reputation.

Some cooks add mushrooms, lardons or a splash of Calvados. It comes in the pot it was cooked in, with bread or chips for the sauce.

How it varies

With Calvados
The mussels flamed with a little Calvados before the cream goes in.

Be the first here

Start your own moules à la normande
No one here has made moules à la normande yet. Start it as v1, and every version after is an experiment the next cook can learn from.

Near it

NormanSole normandeSole poached in wine or cider and fish stock, garnished with mussels, prawns and mushrooms, in a sauce of the reduced liquor with cream and egg yolks.No one here has made it yetNormanMarmite dieppoiseChannel fish and shellfish — sole, scallops, mussels, prawns — cooked in a broth of leeks and white wine or cider, finished with cream.No one here has made it yet