Choose Your Own Steamed Mussel Adventure

Psst, we’re going to let you in on a (not so) secret: mussels are one of the easiest “fancy” meals you can make for a weeknight dinner. The best part is that you don’t need many other ingredients to get a flavorful pot of mussels, and you probably already have what you need at home. To help you out, we’ve created the following “Choose Your Own Steamed Mussel Adventure” guide. (Anyone else love those books as a kid?) The basic formula for steaming mussels goes like this:

1. You’ll need about 1 lb of mussels per person. Rinse them off and remove any beards.
2. In a large pot, heat your oil or butter, then add your aromatic ingredients and saute until beginning to brown.
3. Add your mussels and steaming liquids, toss everything and cover the pot. As the liquid comes to a boil, turn the heat down to a simmer. Toss the mussels occasionally to make sure everything is cooking evenly.
4. When most of the mussels are cooked (open), remove the pot from heat and mix in your topping ingredients. Serve with bread or pasta.

That’s it!