Steamed Mussels

I said in the last post that we love appetizers and often make a meal of them.  One of my wife's very favorite things is steamed mussels.  She will often order the appetizer portion in a restaurant along with a salad and a glass of Sauvignon Blanc, and that will be her meal.  I also think it is fun to make a large communal bowl of steamed mussels and set it out along with some good crusty bread to have with wine prior to dinner. 

If you haven't cooked mussels before, it is very easy to do.  There are some critical things to know about mussels before you cook them however.  First, when you bring them home from the store, don't store them in a plastic bag or closed container.  they need to breath.  I like to put them in a glass or metal bowl in the refrigerator and cover them with a couple of layers of wet paper towels.  At 40 degrees they will stay alive for days.  When you are ready to use the mussels, first sort through them.  Discard any that have broken shells or that are open and don't close when you handle them. Next, I like to soak the mussels in cool water for a half hour or so, so that they dispel any sand that they may have in them.   Next Scrub each shell with a stiff brush, under running water.  The final step, prior to cooking is to de-beard any mussels that have a beard.  The beard is a tangle of dark fibers that enable the mussel to cling to rocks in the water.  Simply pull or clip off the dark strands.  Now we are ready to steam up a treat.

Ingredients:(4 main course or 8 appetizer servings)

4-6 LBS. Mussels Sorted and cleaned as above
3/4 Cup Dry White Wine
2 TBSP Chopped Garlic
3 TBSP Chopped Onion
1 TBSP Butter
1 TBSP Extra Virgin Olive Oil
3/4 Cup Chopped Fresh Herbs (I like to use Parsley, Sage and Thyme)

Preparation:

Over medium-low heat, add butter and olive oil to a large heavy bottomed pot. Sauté onion and garlic, until translucent.  Raise heat to high and add wine, herbs and mussels to the pot.  Cover the pot.  Cook, shaking the pot occasionally, until most of the mussels have opened, about 8-10 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the mussels to a large serving bowl.  Discard any mussels that did not open.  Pour the broth over the mussels and serve with crusty bread for dipping.  We have small cocktail forks for getting the mussels out of the shells, but the real aficionados use a half of a shell to scrape the mussel out of the shell.  They will be sweet and tender when steamed this way.  Don't overcook or they will get tough.  Enjoy !!