Serves 4

Ingredients

• 1 pint Cherry Tomatoes, halved*
• 1 bulb Fennel, sliced
• 2 each Shallots, thinly sliced
• 1 clove Garlic, minced
• ¼ tsp Smoked Paprika
• 1 tsp Fresh Thyme Leaves, removed from stems
• to taste Salt & Black Pepper
• ¾ cup Olive Oil
• 2 pounds Mussels
• ¼ cup Starling Traditional Dry Mead Honey Wine (Honeydew Apiaries)

Directions

• Remove stalks, root end of fennel, and slice bulb thinly; rough chop stalks and reserve for steaming mussels.
• Place sliced fennel bulb in medium bowl with cherry tomatoes, shallots, and garlic.
• Add smoked paprika, thyme leaves, salt, pepper, and olive oil; mix well. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2-3 hours or until ready to use.
• Just before serving, heat a large pot over medium-high heat.
• Add mussels, reserved fennel stalks, and honey wine. Cover pot with a lid and allow mussels to steam for 5-7 minutes or until all of the shells have opened.
• Mix marinated tomato mixture into steamed mussels; discarding any unopened shells. Serve immediately.
• For a different twist, roast tomato-fennel mixture before mixing with steamed mussels.

* Cherry tomatoes can be substituted with any type of tomato.