Recipes Mussels with Merguez Sausage Be the first to rate & review! To give mussels steamed in white wine a North African profile, Hugh Acheson includes the richly seasoned lamb sausage called merguez. Slideshow: Mussels Recipes By Hugh Acheson Hugh Acheson Instagram Hugh Acheson is the Canadian-born chef and restaurateur of Empire State South in Atlanta and Five & Ten in Athens, Georgia. He is a judge on the reality cooking competition series Top Chef and an Iron Chef on Iron Chef Canada. Food & Wine's Editorial Guidelines Updated on March 31, 2014 Print Rate It Share Share Tweet Pin Email Photo: © Christina Holmes Total Time: 30 mins Yield: 4 Ingredients 2 tablespoons unsalted butter 1/4 pound merguez sausage, casing removed and sausage crumbled (see Note) 4 medium shallots, minced Kosher salt 1 cup full-bodied white wine, such as Chardonnay 1 large tomato, finely diced 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice 1 teaspoon Urfa or Aleppo chile (see Note) 1/4 cup chopped cilantro plus 1 teaspoon minced cilantro stems 2 pounds mussels, scrubbed Crusty bread, for serving Directions In a large pot, melt 1 tablespoon of the butter. Add the merguez and cook over moderately high heat, breaking it up with a spoon, until the fat is rendered and the sausage is starting to brown, 3 minutes. Add the shallots and a pinch of salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, 2 minutes. Add the wine, tomato, lime juice, chile and cilantro stems and cook until the wine is slightly reduced, 2 minutes. Stir in the mussels, cover and steam until the mussels open, 7 to 10 minutes; discard any mussels that do not open. Stir in the chopped cilantro and the remaining 1 tablespoon of butter. Ladle the mussels and broth into bowls and serve with crusty bread. Notes Merguez sausage and Urfa chiles are available at specialty food markets and amazon.com. Suggested Pairing A full-bodied white such as Chablis or Chenin Blanc. Rate it Print