Mussels Marinara

Clean mussels- they should be closed, and if anything is hanging off pull and cut seaweed or beard. If open tap on counter three or four times to see if it closes. If it stays open throw it away. Dead shellfish will make you very sick.

Place a 4 quart pot on and fill with 2 quarts of water and bring to a boil add a 1/2 tablespoon of salt

In a 4 quart pot, cook off pasta and set aside

Add the thyme,oregano, pepper, salt, sugar and clam juice and simmer for 5 minutes.

Add mussels and tomato sauce Cover and cook until mussels have opened about 10 minutes. Discard any mussels that have not opened after that. Toss in basil and adjust seasonings if needed.

Mix the mussels and sauce with pasta and serve Parmesan on top as you like.

Note -I like adding peeled shrimp and scallops to make a Seafood Marinara I add them at the same time as I add the mussels. The scallops should be firm and the shrimp pink.