Zut Alors! VEGAN ‘Moules-Frites’ Debut for Belgian National Day

For Immediate Release:
July 21, 2021

Contact:
Brooke Rossi 202-483-7382

PETA U.K. has teamed up with top Flemish chef Nicolas Decloedt to put the first-ever vegan spin on the classic Belgian dish moules-frites—without harming a single hair on a mussel’s chin and just in time for Belgian National Day. The full recipe—which PETA will be sending to the Belgian Embassy as well as Belgian-American clubs and associations in the U.S.—and a video are available here.

Decloedt’s recipe even transforms mashed potatoes into a baked, molded, edible vegan shell, which is then stuffed with shiitake mushrooms that have been simmered in a stock made with kombu seaweed for an oceanic flavor. Serve with thick Belgian fries—and bon appétit!

Decloedt isn’t new to vegan cuisine, as his gorgeous Brussels restaurant, Humus x Hortense, was named Best Vegan Restaurant in the World in 2019.

“These days, anything can be made vegan, from burgers and brats to foie gras and moules-frites,” says PETA President Ingrid Newkirk. “PETA looks forward to celebrating Belgian National Day with a delicious meal that leaves bivalves in their ocean homes.”

In addition to sparing animals, choosing vegan seafood helps protect the ocean, as discussed in the new Netflix documentary Seaspiracy, which examines the global fishing industry and challenges the notion of “sustainable” fishing. Mussel farms, for example, produce “marine litter,” which includes broken shells, rope, floats, and other debris that’s often ingested by marine animals. When left in their ocean homes, mussels and other bivalves filter pollutants and other harmful chemicals out of the water, playing a vital role in the ecosystem.

PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to eat” and which opposes speciesism, a human-supremacist worldview—offers a free vegan starter kit on its website. For more information, please visit PETA.org or follow the group on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram.