Mussels are an excellent source of zinc and vitamin  B12 . They look a little daunting to clean but its really simple though a little time consuming.
In Spain this is a common tapa in the bars and we get them here in a variety of sauces.. The regular way is to steam them with garlic , paprika a bay leaf n olive oil. Here i have created a different flavor which is a fusion between the spanish and an asian style  using curry powder and cumin.
HOW TO CLEAN MUSSELS : the best way to clean them is to soak them in a sinkful of water and then just scrape them with a knife one by one removing the seaweed and the sand that comes with it. I then soak it in fresh water and repeat the process as sometimes there is more seaweed attached to it. Many people just rinse it in water but i feel that doing so does not remove all the sand and seaweed and then while eating they do feel a little sandy. Once this is done they are ready to be steamed which takes no time at all!!!
INGREDIENTS:
2 kilos of mussels cleaned
1 big and juicy lime
2 cloves of garlic, chopped into big pieces
1 dried red birds eye chilli (optional)
2 bay leaves
a pinch of Nitu Didi spanish paprika
1/2 teaspoon each of Nitu Didi cumin powder and curry powder
1 tablespoon of olive oil
METHOD:
Put the cleaned mussels in a saucepan which has a tight fitting lid and add all the other ingredients. Steam it covered for about 5-6 minutes till you see that all the shells have been opened. Stir them and remove one part of the shell and place on a plate. Strain the liquid in the pot and pour over if you like. Please discard all the unopened shells as they are unfit for eating. This is a nice way to eat mussels. They can be also steamed like this and then added to any seafood curry or rice dish.