These Grilled Mussels in a Foil Pack make it taste like you spent a fortune on a seafood dinner. Trust me, you won’t! These are easy to put together and are grilled in less than 15 minutes! It’s a winner!
I don’t grill these near often enough, but my son came home from college and he requested them. Who am I to argue? 😀 We went to the store and picked up a bag of mussels and went to work!
🍽️ Why This Works
Super Simple – I love recipes that are easy to make. I kid you not when I tell you that slicing the lemons is the hardest step! If you can fold the aluminum foil, you can rock this recipe!
Tasty – This is a treat for special occasions and holidays. I am not sure why we don’t make these more often, though.
🦪 Ingredients
There are only a few ingredients, but the end result is out of this world. Let’s talk about the main ones:
Mussels – A bag of mussels are pretty inexpensive and are fun to grill. If your grocery store’s seafood department doesn’t have them, ask them to order some for you. It is important to note that these are alive in the bag when you order them. If you have too many, add them to a batch of Grilled Cacciucco Stew.
Lemon – I slice these and lay them on the foil to serve as a protective barrier from the flame and they provide a wonderful citrus flavor when the mussels start steaming.
White Wine – If you aren’t a wine drinker, grab a small four-pack from the store. It adds a wonderful flavor to the dipping sauce
🧑🍳 Preparation
Step One: Pour the mussels into a large bowl filled with fresh water. The mussels are still alive and will start filtering the water. Let them do their thing for 15 minutes and empty the water. You’ll see a good amount of sediment at the bottom of the bowl. That is great as it means they were expelling it from their meat.
Step Two: Repeat the first step and let them rest in fresh water for another 15 minutes.
Step Three: Cut two layers of foil about 12” x 18” and stack them on top of each other.
Step Four: Slice the lemons into ¼” slices and layer them in the center of the double layer of foil.
Step Five: Add 10-12 mussels on top of the lemons. You want enough foil showing to be able to fold it over and create a foil pack for steaming.
Step Six: Fold over the sides of the foil and create a tight seal. Do the same things with the end to create a tight packet. Repeat steps three through six until all of your mussels are in foil packs.
🔥 Grilling Instructions
Step One: Preheat the grill to 450 degrees on direct heat. You want these to cook and steam quickly.
Step Two: After 8-10 minutes, open one of the foil packs. The mussels should be fully opened.
⚠️ Be Careful! There should be steam coming out of the foil pack as you open it. You don’t want to get burned.
Step Three: Remove the foil packs and place them on a sheet pan to bring inside. Open them up and serve!
🧈 Garlic Wine Butter Instructions
This is where the magic happens! Dipping the grilled mussels in this wine/garlic/butter mixture is simply decadent!
Step One: Melt the butter in a cast iron pot on the grill.
Step Two: Add the wine and garlic and stir.
Step Three: Add the chopped parsley and remove.
Pour the sauce in ramekins and let each person have their own. The smell is amazing!
📝 Expert Tips
- Make sure the grill is hot enough before adding the mussels. You really need it around 450 degrees to create the nice steam and grilling.
- Don’t skip the filtering process. Let the mussels filter the grit out for at least 30 minutes. If you don’t, you’ll feel the grit as you eat them. Blech!
- Double layer the foil. No matter how careful I am, whenever I use a single layer, the darned foil pack tears and the juices drip out. It’s just easier to double stack them and save yourself the grief.
FAQ
Mussels generally are done when they open up.
If any shells do not open up when you are cooking them, toss them out as they are considered bad and you should not eat them.
Generally it will take 7-10 minutes. If you grill is piping hot, I would check them at the 7 minute mark just to make sure. Overcooked shellfish can get rubbery.
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Grilled Mussels in a Foil Pack
Ingredients
Mussel Foil Pack
- 1 package Mussels
- 2 Lemons sliced
Garlic Butter Dipping Sauce
- ⅓ cup Butter
- 1 clove Garlic
- ¼ cup White Wine
Instructions
Prepare the Mussels
- Let the mussels soak in fresh water for 15 minutes. Empty the water and do it again. This will encourage the mussels to get rid of any grit and sediment. You'll notice the bottom of the bowl get dirty – that is great news!
- Cut the lemons into ¼" slices.
- Create two layers of foil about 12×18" and layer the lemons in the center.
- Add about 10-12 mussels on top of the lemons. Leave enough room to fold the foil over and create a sealed foil pack.
- Fold the foil over and seal the seam by folding it nicely several times. Turn the foil and fold up the sides to create a sealed pouch.
Grill the Mussels
- Heat the grill to 450 degrees on direct heat and place the foil pack on the grill grate for about 8-10 minutes.
- The mussels are fully cooked when the shells open up completely. You'll need to carefully open a foil pack to check. Discard any with broken shells and the ones that did not open.
- Remove the mussels from the grill on to a sheet pan. There will be juices in the foil pack. Keep that and pour it into a serving dish with the mussels.
Make the Dipping Sauce
- Add the cast iron pot to the grill and add the ⅓ cup of butter.
- When the butter melts, add in the wine and garlic. Stir well.
- After a minute, add the chopped parsley. Stir for a minute and remove the Garlic Wine Butter from the grill.
- To serve, let your guests pull the meat off of the shells and dip it in the garlic wine butter!
Notes
Nutrition
