Up until the moment we photographed these mussels I always bought frozen, pre-made mussels, because, for whatever reason, I was intimidated by the thought of cooking them.

However, one day, Alex (great friend/best assistant ever ever) and I finally decided to take the leap to learn!

Upon researching, my eyes grew wider with amazement (and so did my appetite), realizing how simple it actually is!

With a little garlic, finely-diced shallots, butter or olive oil, a splash of white wine, lemons, salt and pepper, and perhaps even a sprinkling of parsley, you are good to go!

The most difficult part is waiting in anticipation for the 12-15ish minutes to finish steaming!

In other words, I cannot believe I never tried making this sooner!

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“I cook with wine. Sometimes I even add it to the food.”

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New England Style Mussels

• 2 lbs mussels

• 1 cup shallots, finely diced

• 3 Tbs garlic cloves, minced

• 1 tsp red pepper flakes

• 1/4 cup salted butter

• 1 cup dry white cooking wine

• 1-2 Tbs lemon juice (to preference)

• 1/4 cup fresh parsley, roughly chopped

• 1/4 tsp freshly cracked black pepper

• (optional) lemon wedges

1. Rinse the mussels in a colander and scrub under cold water to remove dirt or stringy bits.

2. In the meantime, bring a large pot with a lid to medium heat and add the shallots, garlic, red pepper flakes and butter. Cook for 2-3 minutes or until the shallots soften and are fragrant.

3. Afterwards, add the white wine and increase the heat to medium-high to allow the mixture to simmer.

4. Next, add the rinsed mussels give a stir, then cover. Allow the mussels to steam for 9-12 minutes or until the shells open. (Discard any that do not open).

5. Juice the lemons to preference. Give another stir, and turn off the heat.

6. Finally, garnish with chopped parsley and season with freshly cracked black pepper and lemon wedges. Serve alongside grilled bread and enjoy!