Garlic Butter Mussels au Gratin

Method

1. Begin by cleaning the mussels. Fill a large bowl with water and add the mussels. Using a small paring knife, remove any barnacles from the shells and the beard of the mussel. The beard is what the mussel uses to attach itself to the surface on which it grows; you’ll find it halfway up the mussel.

2. Rinse the cleaned mussels in a colander and refrigerate until just before cooking.

3. Heat a medium-sized heavy based saucepan on high. Add the cleaned mussels to the preheated pot.

4. Immediately follow with the white wine and cover with a tight-fitting lid.

5. Give the pan a quick shake and allow to cook undisturbed for 3 minutes.

6. Remove the lid and pass the mussels through a colander. Allow to cool.

7. Discard any mussels that haven’t opened.

8. Pick the mussels from their shell, releasing each mussel from the adductor muscle which attaches it to the shell. Discard the half of the mussel shell with muscle attached and place each picked mussel in the remaining empty shell.

9. Place the picked mussels in the shells on a flat baking tray.

10. To make the garlic butter, combine the unsalted butter, garlic, juice and zest of lemon and finely chopped parsley in a small bowl and mix well.

11. Lightly season with sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper.

12. Place a quarter teaspoon of the garlic butter inside each of the shells and spread across to coat the mussels.

13. Put the panko breadcrumbs on a small plate. Place the garlic butter-coated mussels in the panko breadcrumbs and lightly press to neatly coat the exposed mussel.

14. Return to the flat baking tray and bake in a preheated 190°C/gas 5 oven for 5-6 minutes until golden brown.