Mussel

You can also make this dish with littleneck or cherrystone clams instead of mussels.

Okay, so maybe you don’t live across the street from a blooming locust tree—you can still make a killer butter sauce.

Pulling mussels from the shell is a delightfully hands-on way to get your lean protein. The little black shellfish are easy to cook; the only trick is to sort them carefully beforehand. Toss out any cracked shelled mussels, as well as any open ones that don’t close up tight when you squeeze them. The beards are the tough little fibers that help mussels cling to rocks; to remove them, just pinch the hairy fibers with a clean kitchen towel and pull. Don’t do this much before cooking, though, becau.…

Mussels are a quick, easy, one-pot dinner party dish

This pot of Provençal mussels is bathed in a bouillabaisse-style broth with saffron, tomato, and herbs. Make the broth hours ahead. Steam the mussels just before guests sit down, and serve with buttery toasted French bread rubbed with garlic.

Customize the flavor profile of the finished dish by stirring some curry powder or Dijon mustard into the cooking liquid. This is part of BA's Best, a collection of our essential recipes.

This cioppino recipe uses bottled clam juice, a smart shortcut to a robust broth. Recipe by Tom Moorman and Larry McGuire, Clark’s Oyster Bar, Austin

Spoon some aioli on a piece of toast, dunk it in the broth, and eat it along with the white wine-soaked mussels. Repeat.

When gooseberries are in season, Redzepi juices them to flavor this dish. Verjus (a tart bottled juice made from unripe grapes) or a combination of white grape juice and cider vinegar make great substitutes.

You'll want crusty bread for sopping up this San Francisco fish stew.

A creamy, herby, comforting bowl of seafood.