You might want to search on the Internet for recipes using the word Moules (French for Mussels). Moules a la Mariniere is a classic French dish and is absolutely delicious.

They are very easy to cook, and only take a few minutes, but you must take a few minutes to prepare them first. If they are live mussels, they should close when tapped lightly. If they stay open, they are dead, do not eat these as you may get food poisoning. Fill your sink with water and put all the mussels in to get rid of any sand. Scrub them lightly with a vegetable brush and cut or pull off the beard (the green/brown whiskers). Because the mussels inside the shells are not very big, you will need at least 500gm (1lb) per person.

Moules a la Mariniere
Use a large saucepan with a lid, and if you are allowed them on your low carb diet, add 3-4 chopped shallots (scallions) and 1 sliced onion) with 300ml (half pint) dry white wine or vermouth. Cook for about 6-8 minutes. Add 1.8kg (4lb) mussels, cover the pan and steam aover a high heat for 3-5 minutes or until all then shells have opened, stirring and turning them over occasionally. If any mussels stay firmly shut, discard them as they will be dead. Spoon the rest into a large bowl. If there is any grit in the cooking liquid strain it through a muslin bag or paper towel or pour it carefully into another pan leaving the sediment. Bring these juices up to boiling point and add 150ml (quarter pint) double (thick) cream. Season with a little sea salt and plenty of freshly ground black pepper to taste and pour over mussels. Sprinkle with chopped parsley.

You can also cook any quantity of mussels more simply. Prepare them as above and put into a saucepan to which you have about two inches of half water and half white wine with some finely sliced onion and crushed garlic. Once it is boiling add the mussels and cook until they have opened which will only take a few minutes. Don't overcook them as they will become tough. Spoon into a bowl and pour juices over leaving any gritty sediment behind. Sprinkle liberally with chopped parsley. Traditionally eaten with a glass of white wine and French bread to soak up the juices, but it is just as enjoyable without the bread.

If you are using frozen mussels and want recipes let me know. The NZ green lipped mussels are very good for arthritis and are usually sold frozen. All mussels are high in vitamins and minerals.