With both fennel seeds and fresh fennel, you get an intensely fragrant dish. I can’t think of a simpler or faster dinner. With good crusty bread for soaking up the juices and a simple salad, you’re all set. Look for small Prince Edward Island mussels—they’re my favorite.

　　

Ingredients

Serves 4

　　1 tablespoon fennel seeds

　　2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

　　2 tablespoons unsalted butter

　　1 cup thinly sliced fennel (from 1 large or 2 small bulbs)

　　Kosher salt

　　2 (3-inch-long) strips lemon zest (removed with a vegetable peeler)

　　4 pounds mussels, beards trimmed, washed well

　　1/2 cup dry white wine, such as Sauvignon Blanc

　　1/4 cup loosely packed fresh basil leaves

　　

Step 1

In a large, wide pot that can comfortably hold the mussels, toast the fennel seeds over medium-high heat until fragrant. Add the oil, butter, fennel, and a pinch of salt. Raise the heat to high and cook until the mixture is bubbling and fragrant, about 2 minutes. Stir in the lemon zest.

　　

Step 2

Add the mussels and wine and cover. Cook, shaking the pot occasionally, just until the mussels open, about 10 minutes. Toss in the basil leaves.

　　

Step 3

Divide the mussels and all of their cooking liquid among serving bowls.

　　Reprinted with permission from Home Cooking with Jean-Georges: My Favorite Simple Recipes by Jean-Georges Vongerichten with Genevieve Ko. Copyright © 2011 by Jean-Georges Vongerichten; photographs copyright © 2011 by John Kernick. Published by Clarkson Potter/Publishers, an imprint of the Crown Publishing Group. All Rights Reserved.Jean-Georges Vongerichten is one of the most influential chefs in the world, having single-handedly redefined haute French cuisine, lightening and refining it by adding select Asian accents. He is the chef-owner of dozens of restaurants in fourteen cities around the world. His flagship restaurant, Jean Georges, at New York's Columbus Circle, is one of six restaurants in the United States to have been awarded three coveted Michelin stars; it received four stars from the New York Times. The winner of multiple James Beard Foundation awards, he lives in New York City and Waccabuc, New York, with his family.Genevieve Ko is a cookbook author and the senior food editor at Good Housekeeping magazine. She has written for Martha Stewart Living, Gourmet, and Fine Cooking and lives in New York City with her family.