Mussels Josephine

• 2 lbs mussels
• 4 oz chopped yellow onions
• 2 oz chopped garlic
• 14 oz chopped tomatoes (with juice)
• Fresh basil
• 2 oz Pernod
• Lemon juice
• Parsley

Coat hot skillet with melted butter; add mussels to the skillet and cover. (This should take 1-2 minutes; the mussels will start to open when they are cooked.) Discard any mussels that do not open.

Add onions, garlic, and tomatoes; add Pernod, let the alcohol cook off, and add basil, lemon juice, and lemon butter sauce (recipe below) to the pan. Cook for 45 seconds.

Serve in a large bowl and top with parsley.

Lemon Butter Sauce

• 1/4 c butter
• 2 T minced yellow onions
• 2 T minced garlic
• 1/3 c fresh lemon juice
• 2 T dry white wine
• Pinch of salt and white pepper
• 2 T cold butter

Melt butter over low heat; remove from heat and let sit until solids settle to the bottom. Skim the clear butter from the top and discard sediment.

Saute onion and garlic in 2 T of the clarified butter until transparent.

Stir in lemon juice and white wine and season with salt and pepper; simmer 2-3 minutes to reduce liquid.

Remove from heat and swirl in cold butter until sauce is smooth and butter is melted.

*Recipe courtesy of Bonefish Grill and Recipezaar.com