Mussels with Garlic White Wine Broth

Pull any beards off of the mussels and wash them clean under cold running water.

Peel and mince the garlic. Thinly slice or chop the shallot. Pick and chop the fresh herbs.

Cut the lemon into wedges for serving.

Melt the butter in a pot on moderate heat. Add the garlic and shallot and cook for about 1 minute until fragrant, being careful not to brown the butter.

Pour in the white wine and bring to a boil. Grate in some lemon zest, add red chili flakes to your preference, and grind in some black pepper. Pour in the olive oil.

Dump the cleaned mussels into the pot with the broth. Stir them around to coat.

Cover the pot and let the mussels steam for a couple of minutes. Check on them periodically. Cook until the mussels open up, which should take about 5 minutes total. Stop cooking before the mussel meats appear to shrink.

Use a slotted spoon to carefully remove the opened mussels from the pot and transfer them to a serving bowl.

Discard any mussels that did not open. If desired, you can pry open unopened mussels over a separate container to check if the meat inside looks and smells good; if so, they can be added.

Taste the broth in the pot and adjust seasoning with salt and a little lemon juice if needed. Stir in the fresh herbs at the last second.

Pour the hot broth over the mussels in the serving bowl. Serve immediately with lemon wedges.