Beer Steamed Mussels with Garlic-Lemon Aioli

Holy Moses, the sauce is good. It’s bright and lemony, herby and just a bit rich. We drank it like soup once the mussels were finished.

As if that wasn’t enough yumminess, we paired it with good toasted bread that we slathered with a homemade Lemon-Garlic Aïoli. I’m telling you, this combination is psychotically good. Homemade aïoli is beyond delicious but if you want dinner on the table in 10 minutes, you can whisk grated garlic and lemon juice into some good store-bought mayonnaise and it would be really good.

Tips for buying and cooking mussels:Most mussels sold these days are farm-raised. This is good because they are much easier to clean and less likely to be sandy. The flavor is the same.Plan on 1 to 1 1/2 pounds of mussels per person for a main-course serving.The most common type sold in the U.S. is the black-colored “blue mussel,” but you can sometimes find green-shelled New Zealand mussels as well.Mussels are sold live and their shells should be tightly closed. Some may “gape” open slightly but if you tap it, it should close after a moment or two. That means the mussel is still alive and safe to eat. If it stays open or is cracked, throw the mussel away.Wait to clean mussels until you are about ready to eat them. Store them in an open container in the refrigerator and keep them damp either with wet paper towels or a damp cloth. Storing them in a sealed plastic container or plastic bag will suffocate them.To clean, rinse the mussels several times with a steady flow of fresh water. If they’re sandy, scrub with a stiff brush. Don’t soak them as this can kill them. Remove the beard by pinching the brown, stringy tuft coming out from between the two shells, and give it a firm pull.