
Please Note: This post is sponsored by 90+ Cellars. All opinions are our own.
We have another delicious food and wine pairing to share with you with these buttery steamed Mussels in Fennel Saffron Wine Sauce paired with a newly released Albariño from 90+ Cellars. If you love mussels like us, we know you will adore this pairing!
You've probably had some mussels in a buttery white wine broth at some point that you loved. In our case, that is true, but we encounter more dishes that are, unfortunately, on the bland side. So, our mission was to make a mussel dish that could rival all of the best ones we've tried and one that we would really get excited about any time we made it! Well, we believe we accomplished this goal with this recipe for Mussels in Fennel Saffron Wine Sauce.
What makes this Fennel Saffron Wine Sauce for Steamed Mussels special?
What we love about this dish is that the broth has a little more consistency than a plain, boring jus. It is packed with flavor, which is perfect for the baguette or country bread you MUST have for soaking up the sauce.
There are also some nice bits of shallot, garlic, and fennel that have just enough texture to give a bit of body to the sauce.
But the thing that really sets this apart is the addition of a pinch of saffron. The whole dish just looks incredible when the saffron infuses with the buttery wine and mussel broth. The taste and aroma are just better than any we have found and since mussels are not too difficult to find and rather inexpensive, this is a go-to dish!

How to Prepare the Mussels
Cleaning mussels is not a daunting chore, but I know people shy away from it. There are just a few steps, so don’t worry about it.
- Just wash the shells and scrape off the “beard” with a paring knife.
- As a rule, if the mussel shell is broken, throw it away.
- If, the mussel is open and won’t close when you tap on the shell, throw it away.
- Finally, if the mussel stays completely closed when cooked (usually there is at least one or two that do this), then throw it away.
That’s it for preparing the mussels for this Mussels in Fennel Saffron Wine Sauce recipe! And they taste so amazing, these little steps are completely worth the minimal effort.
Wine Pairing
We are constantly impressed by the 90+ Cellars wines we have tried, and believe us, we've tried MANY! This is actually one of the few wine club subscriptions we continue to use, and it is well worth it!
We've enjoyed many different Spanish Albariño wines and always love the fresh, crisp notes of these wines coming from the coastal wine region of Northwest Spain.
Albariño wines really shine when paired with seafood, and the 90+ Cellars Lot 174 Albariño is the perfectly fruity and citrusy sip for our Mussels in Fennel Saffron Wine Sauce recipe. The aromas are reminiscent of summer stone fruits with a hint of tropical fruit like pineapple. On the palate, these fruits linger, along with the perfect amount of acidity. We absolutely love this wine, and hope you give it a try!
Head over to 90+ Cellars to find the Lot 174 Albariño!

And check out some of our other wine pairings with 90+ Cellars wines
- Spicy Ginger Garlic Shrimp Skewers
- Goat Cheese, Spinach, Basil and Prosciutto Quiche
- Parmesan Risotto and Mushroom Ragù Phyllo Cup Bites
- Coq au Vin – Chicken in Red Wine
Enjoy!
We hope you enjoy this recipe for Mussels in Fennel Saffron Wine Sauce! If you give it a try, leave us a comment below or tag us on Instagram @cooking_with_wine!
If you like this recipe, check out some of our other popular seafood recipes below:
- Grilled Swordfish with Summer Gremolata
- The Best Homemade Shrimp Scampi
- Delicious Red Snapper Amandine
- Easy Homemade Creamy Clam Chowder
- Poached Halibut with Tarragon Cream Sauce
- Salt Baked Branzino
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