Mussels With Herbed Bread Crumbs Recipes

Steps:

• Combine the toasted bread cubes, garlic, 1/4 cup of olive oil, and the lemon juice in a food processor and pulse a few times to make coarse crumbs. Add the sun-dried tomatoes, basil, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, and 3/4 teaspoon pepper and pulse to combine. Add the pine nuts and pulse a few times to combine but not to chop the nuts. Set aside.
• Meanwhile, heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil and the wine in a heavy-bottomed pot, such as Le Creuset, and bring to a boil. Add the mussels, cover, and cook over medium-high heat for 4 to 5 minutes, until the mussels have opened. Discard any mussels that don't open. Add the basil bread crumbs and toss gently. Serve hot in shallow bowls with any pan juices.

Steps:

• I love using the heat of the grill to open shellfish. I think they come out as juicy as if they were roasted in the oven. The flavors of garlic, parsley and mint make this a great opener to a meal or a nice side dish or nibble. The crunch of the bread crumbs is also a great texture contrast to the mussels and the flavors evoke the natural sweetness of the mussels.
• Preheat the grill or grill pan to medium.
• Heat a large skillet over low heat and add the olive oil. When the oil is warm add the garlic. Stir the garlic with a wooden spoon and season with salt, to taste. Give the garlic a minute to "melt" into the oil but do not let it brown. Stir in the bread crumbs, parsley and mint. Taste for seasoning, Set aside.
• When the grill is hot, scatter the mussels on the grill in a single layer. Have a pair of tongs and a large platter ready. As the mussels open, use the tongs to remove them from the grill onto a platter. When they are all opened, squeeze the juice from the lemons over them and spoon the bread crumb mixture into the shells. Serve immediately.

Steps:

• In a food processor, pulse together parsley, garlic, salt and pepper until finely chopped. Pulse in butter and 1 1/2 tablespoons Pernod until mixture is combined. Scrape into a bowl.
• In a soup pot with a tightfitting lid, combine mussels, 1/4 cup pastis and 1/4 cup water. Cover and cook over medium-high heat until mussels have opened, 5 to 10 minutes. Transfer mussels to a bowl until cool enough to handle; remove meat from the shells (reserving shells) and transfer to a bowl.
• Pry apart mussel shells and arrange half the shells on one or two large baking sheets; discard remaining shells. Place one mussel in each shell. Top each with a small spoonful of herb butter and a sprinkling of bread crumbs. Mussels may be made up to 1 day ahead up to this point; wrap baking sheets and mussels in plastic wrap and refrigerate. When ready to serve, heat broiler to high and arrange a rack 4 inches from the heat. Transfer tray(s) to the oven and broil until bread crumbs are golden, 1 to 2 minutes.

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a large high-sided Dutch oven over medium heat until it begins to shimmer. Sweat the shallots and garlic by cooking for about 30 seconds. Add the mussels and wine; stir to combine.
• Cover and cook, shaking the pot occasionally, until some of the mussels start to open, about 2 minutes. Sprinkle with the parsley and red chile flakes. Add the butter, cover and cook until all the mussels have opened and the flavors have infused, 1 to 2 more minutes.
• Transfer the mussels to a large serving dish, discarding any that didn't open. Ladle the broth over the mussels and serve with chunks of the torn baguette.