Black Sea Mussels with Herbs

Mussels in Odesa are much more popular than, say, in the UK. Many of us grew up collecting mussels on beaches, then cleaning them and cooking the shellfish on makeshift grills by the sea. Washed down with cold white wine (Ukrainian, of course, chilled by burying the bottles deep in the sand on the shore!), this was our version of hip summers. This recipe comes from Anastasija, an Odesan restaurateur who was the first to dare to come to London, the food mecca of the world, t