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Dagnje na Buzaru (Croatian Mussels in White Wine and Garlic)
Adriatic mussels steamed open in a pot with olive oil, garlic, parsley and white wine, the juices thickened with a spoonful of breadcrumbs, served in the pot with plenty of bread for mopping up.
Croatian (Dalmatian) · easy · serves 4
prep 20 min · cook 12 min
~534 cal · 46g protein · 20g carbs · 25g fat · 0g fiber · 1g sugars · 4g sat fat (estimated, per serving)
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Buzara is a traditional way of cooking shellfish on the Croatian coast, and dagnje na buzaru, mussels buzara style, is the simplest way to cook mussels, and for many the tastiest.
There are two kinds of buzara. The white one, na bijelo, is made with olive oil, garlic, parsley and white wine; the red one, na crveno, adds chopped onion and tomato. For the white version, crushed garlic is warmed in plenty of olive oil, parsley and a little pepper go in, then the cleaned mussels and a few slices of lemon, and the pot is covered so they steam open in their own juices. White wine is added, and just before serving a spoonful of breadcrumbs is stirred in to thicken the juices slightly.
The mussels are brought to the table in the pot, with a glass of white wine and plenty of bread to mop up the sauce.
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Make it yours
✓ Naturally dairy-, nut-, egg- and pork-free. No swaps needed.
Toggle a diet and the ingredients rewrite themselves with regional substitutes.
🥕 Vegetarian
🌱 Vegan
🌾 Gluten-Free
🥛 Dairy-Free
🥜 Nut-Free
🥚 Egg-Free
🐖 Pork-Free
Dietary labels are a cooking guide, not allergen-safety advice. We track dairy, egg, gluten, tree nuts and peanuts (we count coconut as a tree nut, following FDA labeling), fish, and shellfish; we do not screen for sesame, soy, mustard, celery, or sulphites. If you have a food allergy, read the label on every product you use, and note that a kitchen can cross-contaminate in ways a recipe cannot control.
Ingredients
US
Metric
Serves 4
- 1.5 kg live mussels
- 5 tbsp olive oil
- 5 garlic cloves, crushed or finely chopped
- 3 tbsp flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
- 1/2 tsp white pepper
- 1/2 lemon, sliced, plus wedges to serve
- 200 ml dry white wine
- 1 tbsp fine dry breadcrumbs
- 1 loaf crusty bread, to serve
Instructions
- 1Scrub the mussels under cold running water, pull off the beards and throw away any with cracked shells or that stay open when tapped.
- 2Warm the olive oil in a wide pot over medium heat and fry the garlic for about 1 minute, until it smells good but has not browned. Add the parsley and white pepper.
- 3Tip in the mussels and the lemon slices, stir, cover and cook over high heat for 3 to 4 minutes, shaking the pot, until most of the mussels begin to open.
- 4Pour in the wine, sprinkle in the breadcrumbs and cook uncovered for 3 to 4 minutes more, stirring, until all the mussels are wide open and the juices have thickened slightly. Discard any that stay shut.
- 5Serve in the pot or in deep bowls with the juices, lemon wedges and plenty of bread for mopping up.
Croatian Adriatic coast tradition.
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🌏 While it simmers, know your destination
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Dalmatia. Dalmatia is the Adriatic coast, where pasticada braises beef in wine, prunes, and vinegar for a day and a night before meeting gnocchi. Olive oil, grilled fish, wild herbs, and the bell-lidded peka roasting method tie it to the sea and the stone.
🗺️
Croatia. The country folds in the middle. The Adriatic side cooks like the northern Mediterranean, grilled fish, olive oil, capers and prsut air-dried in the wind, while the continental interior north and east cooks like Central Europe, with paprika, freshwater fish stews and roasts. Pasticada, the Dalmatian braise, has an unsettled origin, and the oldest known recipe for it comes from fifteenth-century Dubrovnik.
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Europe. A surprising amount of European cooking is under five hundred years old. Tomatoes, potatoes, peppers, maize, beans and chocolate all crossed from the Americas after 1492, and none of them was trusted quickly: the potato took most of the eighteenth century to be accepted as food rather than animal fodder across much of the north.
The story behind this dish is up top, worth a read while the pot works.
More from Croatia
Brudet (Dalmatian Fish Stew)An Adriatic stew of mixed fish simmered in a tomato, onion, garlic and white-wine base, traditionally served over soft polenta.
Dalmatinska PašticadaBeef larded and marinated in wine and vinegar, then braised a full day with prunes into a sweet-dark Adriatic feast.
PalačinkeThin crepes rolled around jam, walnut, or chocolate, a Croatian breakfast and dessert.
Browse all Croatia recipes →
Good to know
You’ll need: Pot or saucepan.
Storing it: Best the day it is made. Wrap well and refresh in a warm oven, or freeze and reheat straight from frozen.
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Cuisine
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Frequently asked questions
What is Dagnje na Buzaru (Croatian Mussels in White Wine and Garlic)?
Adriatic mussels steamed open in a pot with olive oil, garlic, parsley and white wine, the juices thickened with a spoonful of breadcrumbs, served in the pot with plenty of bread for mopping up.
Where does Dagnje na Buzaru (Croatian Mussels in White Wine and Garlic) come from?
Dagnje na Buzaru (Croatian Mussels in White Wine and Garlic) is a Croatian (Dalmatian) dish from Dalmatia, Croatia.
Can Dagnje na Buzaru (Croatian Mussels in White Wine and Garlic) be made vegan, gluten-free, or dairy-free?
This Dagnje na Buzaru (Croatian Mussels in White Wine and Garlic) recipe includes substitution suggestions for vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, nut-free, egg-free, and pork-free versions. Treat the substitutions as a starting guide rather than a guarantee, and see the allergen note below.
Is Dagnje na Buzaru (Croatian Mussels in White Wine and Garlic) safe for people with food allergies?
Our dietary labels and substitutions are a cooking guide, not medical or allergen-safety advice. We track dairy, egg, gluten, tree nuts and peanuts (we still count coconut as a tree nut to be cautious, although the FDA stopped listing it as one in 2025), fish, and shellfish, but we do not screen for sesame, soy, mustard, celery, or sulphites. If you have a food allergy, always read the label on every product you use, and remember a home or commercial kitchen can cross-contaminate ingredients in ways a recipe cannot control.
How long does Dagnje na Buzaru (Croatian Mussels in White Wine and Garlic) take to make?
About 32 minutes total (20 minutes prep, 12 minutes cooking), serving 4.
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