If you are intimidated by the idea of cooking mussels, you are not alone. But it is easy, really. And these tasty bivalves are highly nutritious: they are a great source of protein (ounce for ounce, ...

Most people haven’t cooked many — if any — mussels in their lifetimes. Just the sight of that little cluster of blue-black shells is sometimes enough to send one scurrying back toward more familiar ...

The best thing about a meal of steamed mussels is the sauce left at the bottom of the bowl. Yes, I adore the bivalves themselves — those sweet, saline nuggets plucked out of their blue-black shells.

It's 1970-something. Mussels are virtually unknown in the United States. They're something that the French eat, but what can you expect of a people that eats snails? I'm on a beach on Nantucket Island ...

In fact, it is such an accommodating dish that it does not demand constant attention either. Cook your spices and protein, ...