Battered Mussels with Tarator Sauce

The two most common ways you’ll see mussels served in Istanbul are stuffed in the shell with rice, or served just like this. Tarator is one of Turkey’s great sauces, sometimes made with hazelnuts, pistachios or pinenuts. Ideally you should use mussels that haven’t been cooked, just shelled like you would an oyster. But you can use cooked mussels if necessary.