Mussel

Salamander's chef, Stan Frankenthaler, combines mussels with spicy sausage and Thai flavorings, such as coconut milk and lime juice.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Corsica's finest dishes feature fresh seafood. Here's an uncomplicated and delicious example.

"I go to Spain frequently, and I've tried many kinds of paella there," says Bruce Cummings of Baltimore, Maryland. "Recently, though, I discovered an outstanding one right here in Baltimore, at Tio Pepe Restaurante."

Mimosa in Los Angeles uses coconut milk in this version of a Breton classic.

Serve these mussels with a frisée salad dressed with red wine vinaigrette. Add french fries, plus a baguette for sopping up the sauce. Lemon tart would be good for dessert. See how to clean mussels.

NORMANDY In Normandy, this richly flavored stew would be served with a composed salad of watercress, shallots, and roasted beets. What to drink: Muscadet, Chablis, or unoaked Chardonnay.

These mussels, flavored with garlic-herb butter and baked instead of steamed, beg for some crusty bread to sop up the wonderful sauce. Try them over pasta, too. Active time: 20 min Start to finish: 35 min

A fabulous all-in-one dish, similar to paella, from Lucques in Los Angeles.

Ravigote sauce is piquant vinaigrette that typically contains onions, capers, and herbs. The hard-boiled egg in this rendition gives the sauce body. Active time: 30 min Start to finish: 1 1/2 hr

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

To debeard the mussels, just pull off the hairlike bits coming out of the shell.

Tangy beer makes a good match with sweet, briny mussels. Here the brew is seasoned with a spice mixture akin to that used in a Louisiana-style crab boil. Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Serve this flavorful saffron-scented dish as either an appetizer or a main course.