Food & Drink

* 3 pounds mussels
* Extra-virgin olive oil
* 3 tablespoons butter
* 2 leeks, white parts only, finely chopped
* 4 garlic cloves, minced
* 1/4 bunch fresh thyme
* 1 cup white wine
* 1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Directions

Rinse the mussels under cold running water while scrubbing with a vegetable brush. Remove the stringy mussel beards with your thumb and index finger as you wash them. Discard any mussels with broken shells.

Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil and 1 tablespoon butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add the leeks, garlic, and thyme and cook until the vegetables cook down to a pulp, about 5 minutes. Add the mussels and give everything a good toss. Add the white wine. Cover and steam over medium-high heat for 10 minutes, until the mussels open. Stir occasionally so that all the mussels are in contact with the heat. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons butter and a drizzle of olive oil to the sauce remaining in the pot and swirl to incorporate. Season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with the parsley and serve immediately.
- Tyler Florence

I had no idea it was this easy to make mussels. You literally put them in a pan with some aromatics and a steaming liquid and a few minutes later they're ready to eat. If it is of any value to you, I substituted shallot for the leeks and probably doubled the amount of garlic in this recipe (mmmmmmm).

I have a friend who makes mussels all the time and his recommendation after we discussed this recipe was to cut the wine with some water. He said that it will tame the wine flavor a little and almost smooth out the taste of the mussels. This is a trick I'll definitely try the next time I make mussels.

I recommend a toasted crusty bread with this recipe.