Steps

• The first crucial step in preparing baked mussels au gratin is cleaning the mussels.

  Discard any open mussels. Rinse the others under running water and remove the beard protruding from the shells by pulling it outward.

  Use a scouring pad to roughly clean the shells. Be careful not to apply too much pressure to avoid breaking the shells.

  I recommend using gloves if you have them available. I always scratch my hands because I forget to put them on 🙁

• For a successful recipe of baked mussels au gratin, you need to open the mussels without breaking them and without losing their liquid, which we’ll partially use to season them before baking.

  They can be opened with a knife or an oyster opener (by using gloves), but it’s a bit of a lengthy process and there’s a risk that mussels won’t open perfectly on one side.

  I prefer to put them in a pot, without adding anything, on the heat with the lid closed for a few moments (just enough to let them open) and then transfer everything to a bowl. This way you can open them well without breaking them and with minimal effort.

• Preheat the oven to 350°F and focus on preparation.

  Place a sheet of parchment paper on a baking sheet. Take the mussels, remove the shell part without the mussel, and place them close together to cover the entire tray.

  At this point, you can stuff the mussels.

  Distribute the ingredients over the shells: breadcrumbs, Grana Padano cheese, salt, pepper, minced garlic, and parsley. Drizzle with the reserved mussel liquid. Pour some extra virgin olive oil and bake for about 12 minutes or until a light crispy crust forms on the surface.

  Remove from the oven and season with the juice of a squeezed lemon.

  If you prefer, you can pour all the ingredients into a bowl, mix, and distribute the filling evenly with a spoon.

  

• You might be interested in:

  Baked Scallops au Gratin.

  Appetizers with Salmon.

  PEPPERED MUSSELS WITH TOMATO