Mussels with linguine and tomato, wine, and garlic.

This was my second try at preparing mussels the first try was only fair, this was a winner!

1 pound fresh live mussels, cleaned, beards removed.
1 cup dry white wine
1 cup clam stock
1 can diced tomatoes
2 tbsp butter
1/2 cup half and half (or heavy cream if desired)
3 cloves garlic minced
1 medium shallot minced
2 tsp Italian Seasoning mix (dried basil, oregano, marjoram, thyme, rosemary, and sage)
Several fresh basil leaves chiffonade.
Salt and pepper to taste
Siracha chili sauce to taste.

Clean and de-beard the mussels, leaving them in cold water while preparing the broth.
In a large skillet melt butter and lightly saute' the garlic and shallots, do not brown.
Add canned tomato with liquid, white wine, and clam stock bring to boil.
Add seasoning mix, simmer broth 10 to 15 minutes allowing it to reduce slightly. Add siracha sauce for spice to taste. (1/2 tsp will give slight heat to the broth, noticeable but mild enough for those who don't want a lot of heat.)
Drain mussels and place in pan, cover and simmer 5 to 8 minutes. Until all the mussels are open. Discard any that do not open.
Remove mussels from broth and set aside. Add half and half (or cream) and simmer to reduce.
Add fresh basil.

Serve piping hot over linguine.

Some additional tips.

When cleaning any mussels that are opened before cooking should be discarded. Most mussels are farm raised today and have very little beard to remove. Always leave the beards until just before cleaning for preparation as a de-bearding often kills the mussel.

Buy your mussels from a store that sells them in bulk. Ask to have dead mussels removed. Pre-bagged will have a a good number of dead and unusable mussels. IN the long run it's less expensive to by bulk at 5.99/lb versus bagged at 3.99/lb.