Pan-Roasted Coombs Island Mussels with Garlic and Almonds

Fish and Seafood Recipes

Preparation Time: 25 minutes

Start to Finish Time: 40 minutes

Yield: 4 servings

During a busy week, Fore Street's cooks will roast more than 800 pounds of mussels. "Those of us who have grown to love mussels had our first experiences ripping them off the rocks at low tide under a wig of rockweed. The magic of that is lost in cultured mussels," says chef/owner Sam Hayward. "Phil Gray hand-harvests these for us. They're clean, but with a strong taste of the northern shore -- a kind of 'marine terroir.' " Sam prepares his mussels in a super-hot wood-burning oven, but he's kindly converted his recipe for home cooking.

• 4 pounds fresh, live blue mussels (preferably wild Maine)
• 4 ounces (about 2 cups) whole almonds in their skins
• 6 ounces (12 tablespoons, or 1-1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, divided
• 1 medium shallot, finely minced
• 3 garlic cloves, finely minced
• 2/3 cup dry-style hard cider
• 1/2 lemon, juiced
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
• 1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh chervil
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh chives
• 1 tablespoon kosher or sea salt
• Freshly ground black pepper

1. Prepare the mussels by culling any that are broken, slack, or heavy enough to suggest they're filled with mud. Remove beards and scrape barnacles and limpets. Rinse well and set aside.

2. Heat oven to 400°. On a baking sheet, roast almonds 4 to 5 minutes or until fragrant. Cool, and chop by hand (or pulse in a food processor) to consistency of coarse meal.

3. In an ovenproof ceramic or metal gratin dish (large enough to hold the mussels in one or two layers, no more) over medium heat, melt 1 tablespoon butter. Add minced shallot and garlic and cook gently 2 to 3 minutes. Add cider and lemon juice, and bring to a boil.

4. Remove from heat. Add herbs, almonds, salt, and a generous pinch of pepper.

5. Raise oven temperature to 450°. Arrange mussels in one or two layers over cider-and-almond mixture. Cut remaining butter into 1/2-inch pieces and distribute over mussels. Roast 3 to 4 minutes.

6. Stir mussels to baste. Repeat until mussels have opened and butter sauce is creamy and fragrant (don't overcook). Serve mussels directly from pan. Enjoy with slices of coarse-textured, crusty bread.

Adapted from Fore Street recipe

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