60 mussels
Salt and pepper
1 tsp. chopped onion
Sliced bacon
American cheese

Prepare mussels and blanch to open. Remove from shells and place in buttered baking dish. Season with salt, pepper and onion. Cover with thin slices of bacon and cheese. Bake in moderate 350 degree oven for 15 minutes or until cheese is slightly melted.

Roast Mussels with Breadcrumbs, Garlic
and Thyme
Serves 8

2 lb. mussels
1/2 c. white wine

topping:

1/2 c. extra virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 c. dried breadcrumbs
2 tsp. fresh thyme
1 T. flat leaf parsley
salt and pepper
rock salt

Preheat oven to 500ºF. Cover mussels with cold water. Discard any that don’t close. Scrub and remove the beard that is attached to each one. Bring wine to a boil in a shallow bottom pan. Add mussels and cover. Steam for 2-3 minutes until mussels open. Uncover and when cool enough to handle, remove from shell, saving one side of the shell. Strain broth and store mussels in it.

Place olive oil and garlic in a small saucepan. Cook over low heat for 5 minutes to soften garlic. Mix 4 tablespoons of the oil into the breadcrumbs along with 3 tablespoons of the broth from the mussels, the thyme and the parsley. Season with salt and pepper. Spread a layer of rock salt over the bottom of a sheet tray, place a mussel in each shell, top with 1 teaspoon of breadcrumbs, drizzle with a little of the reserved garlic oil and set on the rock salt. Place in the oven and bake until breadcrumbs start to brown and crispen, about 5 minutes. While still hot, serve on a bed of rock salt.