White Wine Prosciutto Steamed Mussels

These white wine steamed mussels with prosciutto are a simple yet deeply flavourful dish built around a short list of ingredients and a quick stovetop method. Salty prosciutto, fragrant garlic, fresh herbs, and dry white wine gently steam the mussels until tender and aromatic, creating a light but luxurious broth that’s perfect for soaking up with crusty bread.

Hey folks — this is one of those recipes that feels elegant but is wonderfully unfussy. It comes together quickly, relies on straightforward techniques, and makes a fantastic starter or light main for any season. So, let’s dive into these white wine steamed mussels with prosciutto.

Why You’ll Love These White Wine Steamed Mussels

• Fast and effortless. The entire dish comes together in about 20 minutes.
• Elegant but approachable. Perfect for entertaining without any stress.
• Big flavour, short ingredient list. Salty prosciutto and white wine do most of the work.
• Versatile. Serve as an appetizer, light main, or part of a seafood spread.

Ingredients You’ll Need for This Recipe

• Fresh mussels. Look for tightly closed shells with a clean, briny smell.
• Olive oil. Used to gently sauté the aromatics.
• Garlic. Adds depth and fragrance to the steaming broth.
• Prosciutto. Brings a salty, savoury note that pairs beautifully with seafood.
• Dry white wine. Provides acidity and aroma while steaming the mussels.
• Fresh thyme. Earthy and subtle, perfect with shellfish.
• Fresh parsley. Adds freshness and colour at the end.
• Crusty bread. Essential for soaking up the broth.

How to Prepare Mussels (Step by Step)

Properly preparing mussels is essential for both flavour and safety, and it only takes a few minutes:

• Sort the mussels. Discard any that are cracked, broken, or chipped.
• Check for freshness. Mussels should be tightly closed. If a shell is slightly open, tap it gently on a hard surface. If it closes, it’s safe to use; if it stays open, discard it.
• Soak if needed. Most cultivated mussels are already clean and don’t require soaking. If they appear sandy, soak them in cold water for 15–20 minutes. Even clean mussels can benefit from a brief 5-minute soak as an extra precaution.
• Scrub and debeard. Scrub the shells under cold running water and remove the beards (the fibrous threads) by grasping and pulling firmly toward the hinge.
• Drain well. Once cleaned, drain the mussels thoroughly. They are now ready to cook.

How to Make White Wine Steamed Mussels with Prosciutto

Heat the olive oil in a large, wide pan over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook gently for about 3 minutes, until fragrant but not browned. Stir in the prosciutto and thyme and cook for another 2 minutes, allowing the prosciutto to release its savoury flavour.

Pour in about ½ cup of white wine, or just enough to lightly coat the bottom of the pan (roughly 0.5 cm deep). The mussels should not be boiled in liquid — they are meant to steam.

Add the mussels in one layer, or at most two layers. Cover the pan and cook over medium heat for 4–6 minutes, shaking the pan once or twice, until the mussels have opened. Discard any mussels that remain closed.

Remove from the heat and stir in the parsley and additional thyme, if desired. Serve immediately with toasted bread to soak up the fragrant broth.

More Delicious Seafood Recipes

Are you looking for more fun recipes, like this White Wine Steamed Mussels with Prosciutto? Be sure to check more recipes below:

• Seared Scallops with Avocado Mousse and Passion Fruit Sauce
• Creamy Smoked Salmon Pasta – An Easy and Elegant Dish
• Blood Orange Scallop Salad
• Garlic Butter Mussel Pasta

I hope you like these White Wine Prosciutto Steamed Mussels, and you will give it a try shortly. If you make it, please let me know in the comment section of this post below, send me an Instagram message, or share your photos by adding the hashtag #havocinthekitchen.

Cheers!

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White Wine Prosciutto Steamed Mussels

Recipe by Ben | Havocinthekitchen

0.0 from 0 votes

Course: Mains and Comfort Dishes

Servings

2-3

servings

Prep time

15

minutes

Cooking time

30

minutes

White wine steamed mussels with prosciutto, garlic, thyme, and parsley – an elegant yet simple seafood dish ready in under 30 minutes.

Cook Mode

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Ingredients

• about 1 pound (450 g) fresh mussels

• 1 tbsp. (15 ml.) olive oil

• 2 garlic cloves, minced

• 3-4 prosciutto slices (about 75 gr), chopped

• 1 tbsp. fresh thyme

• about 1/2 cup (120 ml.) dry white wine – or a bit more

• 1/4 cup chopped parsley

Directions

• First of all, start with sorting and discarding mussels which are broken or chipped. Note that mussels should be tightly closed. If some of them are open, tap the shell on their hard surface, and if it closes, it’s safe to eat it.
• If the mussels look nice and clean (cultivated mussels are normally clean), you don’t need to soak them. Otherwise, soak the mussels in cold water for 15-20 minutes. Personally, although the mussels I had were clean, I still soaked them for 5 minutes before cleaning.
• Next, scrub the mussels under cold running water and remove the beards (kind of threads or fibres which are easy to remove by grasping and pulling). Drain the clean mussels. Now the mussels are ready to cook.
• Heat the olive oil and cook the garlic, 3 minutes. Add the prosciutto and thyme and cook 2 minutes more.
  So add about 1/2 cup of wine or a more (the wine should just lightly cover the bottom (about 0,5
  cm thick) of the pan. We don’t cook the mussels in liquid – we basically steam it).
• Add the mussels in one – maximum two layers, cover, and cook over medium heat for 4-6 minutes or until they are open. The mussels which don’t open should be discarded as well.
• Stir in the parsley and more thyme, if desired. Serve with toasted bread