This recipe is taken directly from Weber’s recipe library, where it is credited to Jamie Purviance: Mussels on the Half Shell with Parmesan and Garlic on weber.com. The mussels are grilled in the shell until they open, then topped with a garlic-Parmigiano butter and returned to the grill until it bubbles. Because it starts with live shellfish, the FDA’s shellfish guidance is included alongside the method. This write-up summarizes a published recipe; it is not a first-hand test.
Weber lists 4 servings, about 20 minutes of prep and 4 to 10 minutes on the grill in total, and it names a perforated grill pan or cast-iron skillet as special equipment. Gas, charcoal and wood pellet are all listed as fuel types.
Ingredients
For the topping
- 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, softened
- 1/4 cup finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
- 2 tablespoons panko bread crumbs
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
For the mussels
- 24 large, live mussels, scrubbed and debearded (if necessary)
- 2 tablespoons minced fresh Italian parsley leaves
Method
- Set the grill up for direct cooking over medium heat, 350-450°F (about 177-232°C; Celsius figures in this article are my own conversions).
- Blend the butter, cheese, panko, garlic, pepper and salt in a small bowl with a fork.
- Brush the cooking grates clean. Grill the mussels over direct medium heat with the lid closed until they open, 2 to 5 minutes. Move them to a plate and discard any that have not opened. Now preheat the grill pan over direct heat for about 10 minutes.
- Once the mussels are cool enough to handle, pull away the top shell and leave each mussel in its bottom half. Spoon 1 teaspoon of the topping onto each one.
- Set the mussels in a single layer on the hot grill pan. Grill over direct medium heat with the lid closed until the topping is bubbling, 2 to 5 minutes.
- Take them off the grill, scatter over the parsley, and serve immediately.
Starting with Safe Shellfish
The recipe specifies live mussels, and the FDA’s page on selecting and serving seafood has specific advice for choosing live clams, oysters and mussels:
- Look for the label. The FDA says to look for tags on sacks or containers of live shellfish in the shell. These carry information including the processor’s certification number, which shows the shellfish were harvested and processed under national shellfish safety controls.
- Discard cracked or broken shells. The FDA says to throw away clams, oysters and mussels whose shells are cracked or broken.
- Do the tap test. Live clams, oysters and mussels close when the shell is tapped. If they do not close, the FDA says not to select them.
Those three checks come before the recipe’s own cleaning step, in which the mussels are scrubbed and debearded if necessary.
The Discard Rule at the Grill
Weber and the FDA agree on what to do with mussels that stay shut. Weber’s method tells you to discard any mussel that has not opened after the first round on the grill. The FDA’s cooking guidance for clams, mussels and oysters is that the shells open during cooking, and that ones that do not open should be thrown out. That is the only doneness test either source gives for the shellfish, so it is worth doing deliberately: move the mussels to a plate, look them over, and remove any closed shells before you start spooning on the topping.
The FDA also says most seafood should be cooked to an internal temperature of 145°F (about 63°C), but for clams, mussels and oysters it points to the shells opening as the sign they are cooked. This recipe does not call for a thermometer on the mussels, and I have not added one.
Keeping Raw and Cooked Separate
The mussels are handled twice: raw on the way to the grate, then cooked when you pull the top shells. The FDA recommends washing hands for at least 20 seconds with soap and warm water after handling any raw food, and washing cutting boards, dishes, utensils and counters with soap and hot water between raw seafood and cooked or ready-to-eat food. If seafood will be used within 2 days of purchase, the FDA says to keep it in a clean refrigerator at 40°F (about 4°C) or below. Its picnic advice also says to clean coolers with hot soapy water before packing cooked seafood, especially if the cooler previously carried raw seafood, which matters if you are cooking away from home.
Dietary Note
This recipe is not vegetarian or vegan. It contains mussels (shellfish), butter and Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, as well as panko bread crumbs.
Keep reading
- Weber’s Grilled Halibut with Lemon-Caper Dressing
- Grilled Oysters with Roasted Garlic Butter and Romano
- Grilled Whole Branzino or Snapper with Garlic and Lemon
- Weber’s Grilled New Potatoes, Plus the Parboil Tip