THOUGH THE MENU at Fore Street in Portland, Maine, changes constantly according to what’s in season, best and freshest, it’s a good bet you’ll always find mussels there. “They grow just a few miles away, on Casco Bay,” said the restaurant’s French-born chef, Frédéric Eliot. “I’m sure other French people will argue with me, but these are, hands down, the best I’ve ever had, big and sweet.”
In Mr. Eliot’s third Slow Food Fast recipe, mussels steam open along with a glug of herbal vermouth and a compound butter seasoned with toasted almonds, basil, parsley and chives. Together the seasoned butter and the vermouth form a rich broth in the pan along with the drippings from the shellfish. “They bring out a certain sweetness and nuttiness in the mussels,” Mr. Eliot said.
