Mussels with Rosemary, Lavender and Lime Recipe

A reservation for Erin French’s 40-seat restaurant in the US state of Maine is harder to snag than the attention of a waiter in the weeds, but you can make the chef’s simple and sexy mussels at home. The recipe is from her first cookbook, released in May, called The Lost Kitchen: Recipes and a Good Life Found in Freedom, Maine.

Yeah, they're sexy. Just five ingredients, two of which combine forces to release a seductive and heady aroma. The high heat of an uncovered pan opens the bivalves' shells, and a toss of sizzling butter and lime juice coats the juicy, almost roasty-tasting mussel meat. Erin suggests sharing them straight out of the pan.

Choose a variety of culinary lavender that has complex floral notes — find fresh at farmers’ markets or plant nurseries, or order dried lavender (on the stem, for easy removal) online. Make sure you have some crusty bread for sopping up the pan juices.

* The mussels you buy should be glistening. Immerse them in a bowl of water and ice cubes for 30 minutes before you cook them; lift them out of the water to avoid reintroducing any grit. If you're not going to cook them right away, rinse them in very cold water and refrigerate in a loosely covered bowl. Chilled mussels should be shut tightly; if any of them are not, or have broken or cracked shells, discard them.

— The Washington Post.