3 pounds of fresh mussels

2 cups water

1 medium onion, thinly sliced

5 pieces sundried tomato, sliced into very thin strips

4 garlic cloves, very thinly sliced

several whole allspice corns (or 1/2 teaspoon powdered allspice)

2 teaspoons dried thyme 

2 teaspoons turmeric powder

1 teaspoon garlic powder

salt, to taste

 

Preparation

Buy the freshest mussels you can, and rinse in cold water before cooking.

In a large pot, bring 2 cups of water to a simmer.

Add onion, sundried tomato, garlic slices, and allspice. Simmer for 5 minutes. Then add remaining seasoning and stir well to combine and remove any clumps.

Bring water to a full boil and add mussels. Cover and cook for 5 minutes, ensuring that the water stays at a simmer.

If you feel confident, give the pot a couple hard shakes while cooking to mix the mussels. Otherwise, mix once with a large spoon and add 1 minute onto cooking time.

Mussels should be just cooked through and opened up after 5 minutes. Cooking for too long will results in small, dense, and rubbery mussels.

Discard any mussels that did not open, as these were dead before cooking and should not be eaten.

Spoon mussels into bowls and pour broth over top. Serve immediately, and be sure to provide dishes for the shells. Since crusty bread is a no-no, we just slurp the broth right out of the bowl