Oddly, my children won’t eat seafood other than these mussels and clams. Seems weird given the texture of mussels vs. a white fish or my favorite, shrimp, but that’s how it is now. So together we’ve made this dish countless times and for Mother’s Day this year, they made it for me. It was delicious and presented beautifully.

Tips:

• Keep the fish in a colander, over a bowl in the back of the refrigerator until you are ready to cook them.

• You can easily add clams and shrimp to this dish. Both cook around the same time as the mussels, so just toss them in together.

Spaghetti with Mussels

Serves 4-6

PREP 20 minutes

COOK 20 minutes

INGREDIENTS

2 lbs. PEI mussels

2 tablespoons Olive Oil

Onion, diced

Fennel, sliced thinly

Tomato, diced

1 cup of white wine

Lemon, cut in half

4 tablespoons of butter

3 tablespoons of parsley, chopped

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Make sure the shellfish is scrubbed and bearded.  Any mussel that does not close when pressed together should be thrown out.  

2. In a stock pot, over medium-high heat, heat the olive oil until hot and add the chopped onion.  Add salt and continue to cook until the onions are soft, about 10 minutes. 

3. Add the fennel and tomatoes and cook until the tomato is soft and dry.  

4. Turn off the heat and add the wine and cook until the liquid is evaporated by half. 

5. Add the lemon halves and all the mussels.  Cover the pot and cook for a few minutes until the mussels have opened.  Discard any mussel that does not open.  

6. Remove the pot from the heat and add the butter and parsley.  Pour the mussels into a low bowl over the pasta of your choice.  We love it with spaghetti or linguini.