Mussels in Mexican Beer

Ingredients

• 2 ½ dozen mussels, approx 1 bag, scrubbed and beards removed
• 4 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1 jalapeno, seeded and chopped
• 1/2 bottle dark beer
• 1 (15 oz) can diced tomato
• 2 TBSP cilantro , chopped

Directions

1. Place mussels in a large pot or bowl; fill with enough cold water to cover them. Pour in several spoonfuls of salt and let stand for 15 minutes up to 3 hours. Drain and rinse the mussels discarding any open mussels and removing any beards.
2. In a large skillet, that has a lid, heat uncovered over medium high heat . Add 2 swirls of olive oil, garlic , onion and jalapeno .
3. Sauté for 2 minutes. Gently add the mussels to the pan. Pour in beer and tomatoes and shake the pan to combine. Cover pan and cook until mussels open , abou t 3 to 5 minutes . Remove from heat. Discard any unopened mussels. Sprinkle with cilantro and serve .

Notes

• If you do not have beer you can use either chicken or fish stock, 6 oz (3/4 cup). Also, most store bought mussels do not have beards so do not worry about removing their beards.
• You can add to this recipe and do lots of variations. Try it with some cooked potatoes, sausage, and/ or rosemary. Or serve this over pasta. The longer the mussels are in cold saltwater, the less likely there will be any grit in your meal.