Who loves mussels?

I'm not a huge mussels fan or mollusks for that matter. But every now and then, I have a craving for mussels. So the other day, I was at my favorite grocery store, Whole Foods, and they had them on sale for $4.99 a pound. Coincidentally, I had just watched Top Chef, where Antonia made that dish of mussels. I had to make this dish. Here's my version of Antonia's dish.

When buying mussels make sure that your fishmonger checks the mussels and throws out any that are open and don't close when you tap them.

Cleaning Mussels:

1. Scrub the sand and grit from the mussels with a brush. I have a special tooth brush that I use for the purpose.
2. Remove the beard. You can just pull it off, but sometimes you need a little assistance, and that's where a needle nose plier comes in handy.

NOTE: You want to clean your mussels right before you cook them. Once the beard is removed, it won't take long for the mussels to die. If you buy them already cleaned, used them right away. If you're not using them right away, store them in open container with ice.

Ingredients

• 1/2 large fennel bulb
• 1 shallot
• 3 tablespoons garlic
• Olive Oil
• 1/2 cup dry white wine (I used Sauvignon Blanc)
• red pepper flakes
• 1lb mussels
• 1 tablespoon of thyme
• Good crusty bread, like French

Directions:

Warm a large sautee pan with medium heat. Pour enough olive oil to cover the bottom of the pan and a little extra to soak up with the toasted bread.

Sautee the shallots (onions if you don't have any) and fennel until soft. About five minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Next add the garlic and sautee until fragrant.

Add the wine, thyme, red pepper flakes and mussels. Stir so all of the fat covers the mussels. Then cover for about 3-4 minutes.

Butter and toast thick slices of the bread in the broiler.

When the mussels are done they will open.  Remove from heat. Stir once more to get some of that garlicky goodness inside the mussels. If they haven't opened after four minutes, throw them away.

Pour everything into a big serving bowl. Serve the toast along side for dipping.