First of all, clean the mussels: discard the open mussels and keep only the closed ones. After rinsing them under running water, remove the byssus, “the beard” that comes out of the valves, by pulling it outwards. Open the mussel delicately by inserting a small knife in the point where they divide, so that, when opened, the fruit remains intact and attached to the shell. Do this with every single mussel and remember to keep their water which will be used later to wet the breading.

 

Place the newly-opened mussels on a baking tray lined with greaseproof paper.

 

Take care of the breading: in a bowl pour the breadcrumbs, grated Grana Padano, chopped fresh parsley, the lemon zest, a clove of crushed garlic and a sprinkle of black pepper.

 

Now pour in 30 g of olive oil and 150 g of the mussel water (p.s. filter it with a sieve before pouring it in the bowl). Stir until you obtain a homogeneous and moist mixture.

 

Stuff the mussels with a spoon, season them with a round of olive oil and bake them in a static oven preheated to 200°C for 12 minutes on the highest shelf and then for another 3 minutes at maximum power, in grill mode. When ready, take your mussels au gratin out of the oven and serve immediately.