Creamy Garlicky Mussels

I'ma back!!  I had a taste for one of my favorite seafoods, mussels.  And if your tired of the same old boring fried fish and shrimp, here's something different, with a little twist.  Expand your taste palates.  Well here we go...

Creamy Garlicky Mussels
(adapted from Tyler Florence's Creamy Garlicky Mussels)

2 lbs mussels

4 tablespoons unsalted butter

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

6 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped

4 sprigs fresh thyme

1 lemon
1/2 of a can of diced tomatoes

3/4 cup dry white wine

1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth

1/2 leek, just the white part

8 shrimp, peeled and deveined

1 andouille sausage, thinly sliced

1 shallot

Cajun fish seasoning

Garlic Bread

1 loaf crusty french bread

1 head of garlic

butter

Take the head of garlic and slice the top off.  Wrap it in foil and drizzle olive oil over it.  Put it in a 350 degree oven for about 45 minutes or until the garlic has softened and turned a golden brown.  Take the garlic out of the oven.

Slice the loaf of bread in half and then cut open the halves.  Butter a skillet and lay the bread face down in the skillet until the bread is golden brown and crispy. 

Once the bread is done, take it out of the skillet and spread it with the garlic and serve.

Scrub the mussels with a vegetable brush under running water; discard any with broken shells that remain opened when tapped.  Slice half the lemon thinly, and chop the leek.  Chop the shallot, and the garlic, and thinly slice the sausage.

Take the shrimp and sprinkle both sides with the Cajun seasoning.  

In a large pot over medium heat melt the butter with the olive oil. Add the garlic, thyme, and lemon slices and cook until everything has softened, about 5 minutes. 

Add in the half can of diced tomatoes, the shrimp and the sausage, and squeeze the other half of the lemon in the pot and cook for about a minute. 

Add in the mussels.  Add the wine then the chicken broth; cover the pot and steam for 8-10 minutes or until the mussels open. 

Pour in the bowl and serve with garlic bread.  So the next time you have the urge to jump in the lake for seafood try these mussels.