Of course, the same lot of mussels nowadays would cost us about $10 to $11 nowadays (the price of inflation...grrr) but that's still a cheap eat for two grownups.
The hardest work in cooking mussels would be in the debearding and the scrubbing of the barnacles off the mussel shells. Beyond that, they are really easy to cook. I made mine one night with just onion, chillis, diced tomatoes, capsicum, coriander, champagne and a dash of cumin and salt. You can use about any combination of spices as it pleases your palate and make sure there is quite a bit of liquid and that the base 'stock' is well and truly simmering hot before you put in the mussels, stir through and close the lid on the pot for 10 to 15 minutes and let the hot steam cook the mussels. Discard the ones that aren't open and tuck in to the yummies that are cooked through.
I served my pot up with spaghetti, but you may substitute with bread, rice, whichever carb tickles your fancy. The best part is soaking up the yummy juices with your carb of choice.
The batch I made was so good it didn't last long enough for me to take any pictures, but I trawled the net for links to awesome recipes for you to follow if it is your first time. Trust me though, you can use your imagination with this one...
Source: Home of Longevity Magazine
Source: Basil & Fig
