Here in Atlantic Canada we enjoy our seafood. So when I saw a good deal on mussels at a local supermarket, I headed right over to pick some up. They are quick and easy to prepare, which is perfect for a weeknight, and made a wonderful treat. They were part of the supermarket’s Black Friday deal…only in Atlantic Canada would they include mussels in a Black Friday sale!

When buying mussels, look for them to be loosely packaged in the grocery store – they need to breathe so there should be holes in the packaging. There is not much meat to them, so buy plenty. 1-2 lbs per person depending on what else you’re serving and how much you want left-over.

What you’ll need:

• mussels
• 2 shallots, chopped
• 3 cloves of garlic, minced
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• Dash or two of pepper and salt
• 1 ½ cup broth – whatever type you want
• ½ cup cooking wine
• Bread – something crusty like a baguette to sop up some of the juice on your plate.

 Pick through the mussels. Discard any with broken shells. If there are some that are opened up, give a gentle pinch. If they close after a moment they are still okay. If they remain open, discard those as well.

In a large stockpot, sauté shallots and garlic in the oil until softened. Add the broth and wine, toss in the salt and pepper. When it comes to a boil, dump in all the mussels and cover. Steam them for 5-7 min. The shells should all be open now. Discard any that didn’t open.

Serve with bread. Place second dish on the side of each place setting for people to put their emptied shells into.

With my leftovers, I made some fettuccine alfredo (okay, it was dairy-free and spaghetti noodles – but you get the picture).

• 1 1/2 cups reserved broth drained from mussels
• 4 Tbsp flour
• salt and pepper
• 3/4 cup Barista blend soy milk (it is thicker than regular dairy substitutes- canned coconut milk would also work)
• 1/3 cup nutritional yeast
• leftover mussels, shelled
• cooked pasta for 4

Whisk the flour into the broth in a small pot and heat on medium. Add cream substitute and continue to stir frequently. Bring to a boil, and remove from heat. Stir in nutritional yeast and cooked mussels.