Salade de Moules a la Ciboulette (Mussels salad with chives)

Steve and Diane Woodard, August 2003, from their book, "When our Grandmothers Cooked in Provence"

This recipe called for 3 kg. We used two bags.
1 onion, minced
1/4 pt of dry white wine
1 pinch ground thyme
5-6 tablespoons of mayonnaise
3 dashes of hot sauce
1.5 dl/ 0.3 pt of the mussels cooking juice
15 twigs of fresh chives, minced
Salt & fresh ground pepper

Place the mussels in a pot of ice-cold water with about a handful of sea salt in the refrigerator overnight to remove as much sand grit as possible.

Clean the mussels and open them on a brisk heat in a large covered saucepan with the white wine, onions, and thyme for about 10 minutes.

Remove the mussels and let them cool down while you strain the pot juices for the sauce.

Take the mussels out of their shells. You may use an empty mussel shell as a tool to pluck the meat from the shells, like tweezers. Place the mussels into a serving dish.

In a bowl mix the mayonnaise, the cooking juice, and chives. Adjust the seasoning. Pour the sauce over the mussels and place it in the refrigerator.

Serve chilled.