Simple and Delicious

Best Mussels Recipe Ever!

Anyone can cook mussels, they really are not difficult to prepare. However, while clothes don’t make the woman, in this case the sauce does make the dish! The simpler recipe is often the tastier one. When you go to purchase your mussels, whether from a fish market or your local supermarket, it is important to ask if they are farm raised or wild. If they are wild, you will need to soak them overnight before cooking. If they are farm raised, they won’t have any sand or dirt in them so no cleaning needed.

Most people are wary of cooking mussels because they are nervous about distinguishing between good and dead ones. In order to pick out the dead ones, pour them into a bowl after you buy them. All of their shells should be tightly closed. If they are open just give them a touch on the top of the shell. If it closes, it’s alive! If it stays open, it is definitely dead and you need to throw it out.

If you are handling mussels from the wild, it is important to soak them in a water and cornmeal mixture. The cornmeal will help get the sand cleared out. Pour cool water into a large bowl with half a cup of cornmeal and let the mussels sit for 45 minutes. When time is up, throw out the murky water and scrub the mussels clean. You are now ready to get cookin’!

Ingredients

• 8 lbs of mussels
• 3 tbsps butter
• 3 tbsps olive oil
• ½ cup chopped shallots
• 6 minced garlic cloves (6 tsps)
• 2 tomatoes diced and seeded
• ½ tbsp. thyme
• ¾ cup chicken broth
• 2 tbsps lemon juice
• 2 tsps sea salt
• ½ tsp red pepper flakes
• 1 tbsp lemon zest
• ¼ cup fresh chopped parsley
• White wine to taste
• Fresh ground pepper to taste

Directions

1. Place mussels into a bowl and cover with cool water. Set aside for later.
2. Heat butter and oil over medium heat in a large pot. Toss in the shallots and cook until translucent, just a couple of minutes.
3. Add garlic and cook about a minute or two, just until fragrant.
4. Throw in tomatoes, thyme, white wine, chicken broth, lemon juice, sea salt, red pepper flakes and black pepper. Turn up heat to medium high and bring to a boil.
5. Slide in the mussels and cover. Let it cook for eight to ten minutes. Give the pan a shake every few minutes or so to move mussels around.
6. Pour into bowl and garnish with parsley and lemon zest. Serve with a loaf of fresh Italian bread to sop up the mouth-watering sauce.