Made with about 2 pounds of local Maine-grown mussels, this quick and simple dish makes a great lunch or light dinner.  If it all hasn't been mopped up with the crusty French bread this is served with,  the broth that remains is excellent as a base for seafood paella or even a wonderful New England clam chowder.

 I include about half  of a small, sliced bulb of fennel  in addition to the usual suspects of a crushed garlic glove or two, some chopped onions or shallots,  a glass of white whine and a handful of cilantro all topped off with a couple of tablespoons of butter and a few lemon slices. 

All of that goes into covered pot, gas turned to medium and cooked/steamed until the mussels open, usually between 2-5 minutes. I check after about 2 minutes and begin removing any open mussels so they don't overcook. I discard any un-opened mussels.

I got the idea to use fennel from a wonderful Northern Italian restaurant, Ports of Italy, here in Boothbay Harbor. They also add sambuca to flavor their dish. I didn't add it to this version since I planned to use the remaining broth as a base for preparation of a seafood stock to use in a paella.