Mussels with a Parsley Crust

I made this tasteful dish for dinner today. Easy and didn't take that long to prepare. Based on a Spanish seafood recipe I recently discovered in one of the cookbooks I've got for Christmas, I was quite surprised at the end result for it tasted quite like it was prepared with some shrimp paste. For me, that was delicious!

The following recipe serves four:
INGREDIENTS
450g fresh mussels
45ml water
1 tbsp melted butter
1 tbsp olive oil
3 tbsp freshly grated Parmesan cheese
2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper (to taste)

1. Scrub the mussels thoroughly, scraping off any barnacles with a round-bladed knife and pulling out the gritty beards. Sharply tap any open mussels and discard any that fail to close or whose shells are broken.
2. Place the mussels in a large pan and add the water. Cover the pan with a lid and steam for about 5 minutes, or until the mussels shells have opened.
3. Drain the mussels well and discard any that remain closed. Carefully snap off the top shell from each mussel, leaving the actual flesh still attached to the bottom shell.
4. Balance the shells in a flameproof dish, packing them closely together to make sure that they stay level.
5. Preheat the grill (broiler) to high.
6. Put the melted butter, olive oil, grated Parmesan cheese, parsley, garlic and black pepper in a small bowl and mix well to combine.
7. Spoon a small amount of the mixture on top of each mussel and gently press down with the back of the spoon.
8. Grill the mussels for about 2 minutes, or until they are sizzling and golden. Serve the mussels in their shells, with plenty of bread to mop up the delicious juice.

I enjoyed this dish with fried rice in butter, garlic and onion. Not what was recommended, but it was nice. I hope you will enjoy it too :-)