Mussels A La Franciscana

• 3 pounds PEI mussels, scrubbed and de-bearded
• 4 tablespoons butter
• 2 shallots, finely minced
• 5 cloves garlic, finely minced
• 1 teaspoon crushed red chili flakes
• 1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds
• 1 cup lightly-hopped craft beer, like Anchor Steam
• 1 meyer lemon, zested in long strips and juice reserved
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 2 cups chicken stock, room temperature
• 5 sprigs thyme
• 2 yellow or orange heirloom tomatoes, chopped
• 1/2 cup italian parsley, chopped

1. 1. Prepare your steaming liquid base. In a very large saucepan, rondo, or wok (with lids), melt the butter over medium-high heat. As it starts to brown, add the shallot, garlic, chili flakes, and fennel until very fragrant, but not browning (about 2 minutes). Deglaze the pan with the beer and add the lemon zest and salt-allow to boil aggressively for 3 minutes, or until about 1/2 the liquid has boiled out.
2. 2. Add the mussels. Drop the mussels into the steaming liquid base and give them a good toss. Quickly pour in the chicken stock, add the thyme and the tomato, and bring to an aggressive boil. Cover tightly and allow the mussels to steam for about 4 minutes.
3. 3. Finish and serve. Remove the lid from the mussels and add the parsley, tossing to combine. Taste for seasoning and add more salt if necessary. Pour the whole thing into a big bowl to serve.

mussels, butter, shallots, garlic, red chili, fennel seeds, craft beer, lemon, salt, chicken stock, thyme, tomatoes, italian parsley

Taken from food52.com/recipes/35174-mussels-a-la-franciscana (may not work)