Greetings! First post here.
I used to make steamed mussels simply in a heavy stock pot-- I think with only chopped or sliced onions, perhaps a little minced garlic (?), sautéed in butter and then (dry?) Vermouth added, which gave more flavor than white wines my wife and I tried. In more recent times, after years of not making it, I have repeatedly been disappointed, finding the "taste of the sea" overwhelming the delicacy and sweetness I remember of the mussels.
This is doubly problematic, because I learned a fabulous fish sauce—great for poached salmon!— from a German friend yeas ago, that combines mussel broth from this preparation with some plain tomato broth, Riesling, and cream, boiled down to good consistency and finished with Cognac.
Any ideas what I may be doing wrong? Not scrubbing the mussels enough? mussels too old? proportions?
I'm looking forward to learning a lot here.
