PEI Blue Mussels Cooked Over Wild Island Pine

Scrub mussels well with a brush under cold running water, discarding any with cracked shells or shells that fail to close when tapped.

Using a metal skewer or an old pointy knife, poke 1/2-inch holes, spaced 2 inches apart, in the bottom of one of the aluminum foil pans.

Fill perforated foil pan with pine needles; they should be loosely mounded rather than tightly packed. Arrange mussels on top.

Set up the grill for direct grilling and preheat it to high. There is no need to oil the grill grate.

When ready to cook, place pan on hot grate. The pine needles will start to smoke and catch fire after a few minutes. If you’re working on a gas grill, you may need to use a butane match or lighter to help ignite pine needles. Once pine needles have caught fire, place second foil pan over the mussels and pine needles. Grill mussels until shells open and bivalves are cooked, 5 to 8 minutes

Once mussel shells begin to open, sprinkle mussels with raspberry vinegar. Cover mussels again and grill 1 minute longer. The vinegar is optional, but it adds an extra dimension of flavor.

Transfer smoking, steaming pan to a heatproof platter and serve mussels at once, discarding any that have not opened. Eat the mussels with your fingers right out of the pan. Serve with melted butter, if using.