Robust & rustic with hints of garlic is what this mediterranean dish is all about! We ate these mussels on our balcony on a warm evening and it almost felt like we were back in Italy surrounded with our fresh herbs and lavender.  This country recipe is so quick to make, easily under 20 minutes, so it can be a great saver for dinner parties. Mussels are cheap, sustainable and overly delicious! The lovely taste of the garlic explodes in your mouth and all you want to do is soak up all the delicious buttery herb broth with a piece of olive loaf! I love the saltness of the olive loaf, I think it brings out the flavours of the seafood along with a good squeeze of lime. This dish makes an efforltess appetizer or light lunch, excellent with a chilled glass of white wine.

Ingredients

• 1 kg Mussels
• 6 large cloves of garlic
• 2 cups dry white wine
• 3 large shallots
• Parsley ( or herbs of choice)
• 2 tablespoons butter
• Serve with olive loaf & lime wedges

Begin by cleaning the mussels by scrubbing under cold water and remove beards. Make sure to remove the dead ones. Any easy way to check if they are alive, is by tapping them and if they do not close, they are dead, thus throw away.

In a large pan, add in the garlic, shallots with some butter and cook about 3 minutes over medium heat. Add in the wine and let it simmer for 5 minutes. Add mussels, cover with lid, increase the heat. Cook until the mussels are open for about 5 minutes. Stir in parsley and butter. Serve with lime wedges and rustic olive bread.