This light dish is perfect for lunch or supper.

The vegetables can be prepared in advance and chilled until you want to cook the mussels. Any leftovers can be frozen for another day or used to flavour a soup. When it comes to cooking the mussels, I’d suggest doing this in two batches so they cook more evenly. Make sure you have all the ingredients weighed and to hand so that you can work quickly.

MUSSELS WITH GARLIC AND LEMON

Serves 4 as a starter, or 2 as a main course

1.6kg rope-grown mussels
160ml white wine
175g paysanne vegetables (see below)
20g minced garlic 2 lemons, juiced
50g butter
20g parsley, chopped

For the paysanne vegetables

50g butter
35g fennel, washed, dried and with the leaves separated and sliced into 3mm strips
35g carrot, peeled and sliced lengthways into 3mm strips
35g celery, washed, dried and sliced into 3mm strips
35g leek, washed, dried and sliced lengthways into 3mm strips
35g banana shallot, finely diced

Put a baking sheet in the fridge or freezer to chill. To prepare the vegetables, cut the fennel, carrot, celery and leek strips into small, evenly sized triangles, then set aside. This will be more difficult with the fennel, as it is an uneven shape, but try to get the pieces roughly the same size as the carrot and celery, so they cook evenly. Melt the butter in a frying pan or casserole on a medium-high heat. Sweat the fennel and carrot for 2 minutes, then add the celery, leek and shallot. Sweat for another couple of minutes and remove from the heat. Cool down quickly by spreading the vegetables out on the chilled baking sheet. Refrigerate once cold. They will keep for 2 days in the fridge, or can be frozen.

Clean the beards from the mussels, remove any dead ones — those that are broken, or any that are open, but won’t close when you tap them — then rinse under running water for 30 minutes. Set a large pan with a lid on a high heat for a couple of minutes, until it’s hot, then tip in the mussels, followed by the wine, paysanne vegetables and garlic. Put the lid on and allow the mussels to steam for 1 minute. Shake the pan vigorously (holding onto the lid), then add the lemon juice and butter. Shake again, with the lid on, then remove it to check the progress of the mussels. If they’re all open, take them off the heat. If not, cook for another 30 seconds or so and check again. Add the parsley, shake the pan one last time. Serve with some good crusty bread.

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