Breaded Mussels

We've recently been really excited to start cooking some more seafood. For a nice, relaxing Sunday dinner, we made breaded mussels to eat alongside some soup and salad. The recipe was quite simple to do -- we spend much more time prepping the breaded mixture and soaking/cleaning the mussels than actual cooking time. 

I've also resolved myself to the fact that I need to buy more mussels that I think, as some always need to be tossed out. They open too early (and won't close back up), they don't open at all, they are cracked -- a few have to go unused no matter how carefully I treat them. Oh well.

Some of the steamed mussels

Cooking up the pancetta

Paul topping the mussels with the breadcrumb mixture

After browning in the oven

I loved the way that these turned out. The breadcrumb topping was salty and crunchy. Adding the strained wine mixture to the mussels before broiling added another level of flavor also -- you definitely noticed that little extra something.  I topped mine with a little squeeze of lemon juice as well. They were gone in a flash.