Ingredients for 6 persons:

- 1 kg. (3 lb.) Mussels 
- 1 clove garlic 
- a lot of basil leaves 
- 1 dl. (3 tbsps.) olive oil 
- pepper 
- lemon  
- 1 cup of dry white wine 

Preparation:  

The cleaning of the mussels has to be very meticulous. Wash them long under running water, brush and scrape them strongly to remove all the impurity. Put them in a large wide pan slightly oiled, flavoured with garlic and basil and let the shells open over a high heat, without  however cooking them. As they will be open,  remove the empty valves and place the valves with the shellfish in a shell-shaped plate. Flavour them with oil, pepper and some spoons of the liquid reserved into the pan, strained with a gauze. Green and scented basil for the garnish: minced on the mussels and in short small branches all around the plate.