Mussels Roasted in Almond-Garlic Butter

• Recipe by Sam Hayward

Hayward credits this recipe to Alan McGrath, his former chef de cuisine at Fore Street. It is easy to see a Spanish influence in the savory combination of garlic, chiles and toasted almonds. The mussels Hayward uses at the restaurant are farmed off of Bang's Island in Maine's Casco Bay.

Ingredients

1. 1/2 cup salted roasted almonds, chopped
2. 1 stick unsalted butter, softened
3. 2 garlic cloves, minced
4. 1 medium shallot, minced
5. 2 tablespoons chopped parsley
6. 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
7. 1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
8. 1 teaspoon minced jalapeño
9. 1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
10. Salt
11. 4 pounds mussels, scrubbed and debearded
12. 1/2 cup dry white wine

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 450°. In a food processor, coarsely grind the almonds. Add the butter, garlic, shallot, parsley, lemon juice, lemon zest, jalapeño and pepper; process until blended. Season the almond-garlic butter with salt.
2. Put the mussels in a large roasting pan and add the wine. Spoon the almond- garlic butter over the mussels and roast for 12 minutes, stirring the mussels and shaking the pan a few times, until all of the mussels have opened; discard any that do not open.
3. With a slotted spoon, transfer the mussels to bowls. Spoon the almond-garlic butter on top.

Serve With

Hot, crusty bread.