Broiled Mussels with Smoked Paprika Crumbs

I have several mussels recipes on deck for the next couple of weeks. But this one needed to go up now. I fixed it the other night as a special treat with a glass of Champagne as I watched the Tony Awards. I am madly preparing for a multi-course wine dinner for my family in a couple of weeks and this one will make the cut for the first course and a glass of bubbly.

(Note: I only cooked one pound of mussels, so I had plenty of the delicious breadcrumbs leftover. They are going in the freezer to bread a tilapia fillet sometime very soon.)

Broiled Mussels with Smoked Paprika Crumbs
Adapted from Food and Wine magazine.
Makes 8 servings.

1/2 cup dry white wine
2 pounds mussels, scrubbed
3 cups coarse fresh bread crumbs
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 large garlic clove, minced
2 teaspoons smoked Spanish paprika
Pinch cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon chopped thyme
1/2 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
Salt and freshly ground pepper

In a pot, bring the wine to a boil. Add the mussels. Cover and cook over high heat, shaking the pot until the mussels open, 4 minutes. Using a skimmer, transfer the mussels to a rimmed baking sheet and let cool. Pour the mussel cooking liquid into a bowl. Loosen the mussels in their shells and discard the empty half of each shell. Spoon the cooking liquid over the mussels to keep them moist. Cover with plastic wrap.

Put the bread crumbs in a medium bowl. In a small skillet, melt the butter in the oil. Add the garlic, paprika and cayenne and cook over moderate heat until fragrant. Scrape the contents of the skillet over the crumbs. Add the thyme and lemon zest, season with salt and pepper and toss well.

Preheat the broiler. Remove the plastic wrap from the mussels and top them with the bread crumbs. Broil 6 inches from the heat for about 2 minutes, rotating the pan as necessary, until the bread crumbs are browned and crisp. Serve right away.