Ingredients

• 2 lbs fresh mussels
• 1 lb fresh shrimp
• 1/2 lb prosciutto ham, chopped
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, finely grated
• 5 tablespoons butter
• 1 cup white wine or 1 cup dry vermouth
• 2 tablespoons dry sherry
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
• 4 fresh basil leaves, chopped
• salt & pepper
• 1 pinch saffron thread
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1/2 cup half-and-half
• 1 large fresh tomato, chopped, remove all seeds
• hot sauce

Instructions

1. Clean and scrub the fresh mussels in cold water, discard the open ones that after you tap them with a knife they would not close.

2. Add the butter to the pan and saute onions, garlic, procciutto ham and saffron threads For about 5-10 minutes at med temperature. Add 1 teaspoons of hot sauce.

3. Add the wine to the pot and mix well, then add the mussels with the parsley and basil (mix well) and tomatoes over; cook for 5 minutes at med-high temperature. Stir and remove open mussels (leave the closed ones in the pot for additional 1-2 minutes; if they do not open, discard them).

4. Add shrimp and cook for few minutes until pink; remove them also.

5. Make a roux with cornstarch and cream whisked slowly into the pot containing the wine mixture until it thickens up, test for salt and pepper and add the sherry to it; whisk well and return mussels and shrimp back to pot, heat up for about 5-10 minutes at medium to medium low temperature.

6. Serve with your choice of pasta (I prefer Linguini or Rigatoni).

7. *note.

8. This also can be served as is, with no pasta, just use less cornstarch in cream (not to thicken the sauce) and serve in a bowl with nice crusty bread.