Mussels au Gratin

Directions

1. Rinse the mussels under cold water many times. Pull off any beards and discard broken or open mussels. When it comes to open the mussels, you can open them with a knife or cooking them on the heat. First way: hold the mussel firmly in your hand over a bowl in order to reserve the water inside, and insert the knife tip between the two shells. Slide the knife all around the mussel, open on a half and let the fish on a shell. Second way: heat 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil and 1 garlic clove in a large cooking pan. After a few minutes increase the heat to a higher temperature. Remove the garlic and add the mussels. Let cook covering the pan with a lid. After a few minutes, stir the mussels with a large wooden spoon. Cover again and cook until all mussels are open. Then remove the lid and let cool. Filter the cooking water with a colander and keep aside. Preheat the static oven to 200 °C. Put the chopped garlic, parsley, cheese, breadcrumbs, zest lemon, a little oil, salt and pepper, in a bowl and mix with a wooden spoon very well until smooth. Add some cooking water (2-3 tbsp) to soften the mixture. Use only the half mussels shell with the mussels. Fill the shells with the breadcrumb mixture and lay them on a baking trail. Drizzle with olive oil and bake for 10- 15 min until golden.