Spicy Korean mussels with pickled cucumber

SERVING SUGGESTION: Steamed Asian greens, such as bok choy or gai lan, plus brown rice. TIPS: Even if mussels have been cleaned, there may be leftover beards (furry bits around the edge). To remove beards, hold mussels under running water and use your fingers to pull beards off towards the hinge end of the shell. Before cooking, discard any open shells that do not clamp shut when gently squeezed (let them warm up slightly first) or have an unpleasant odour. Contrary to popular belief, mussels that do not open when cooked but still smell okay are still fine to eat. Korean chilli paste is a spicy condiment made from red chillies, glutinous rice, fermented soy beans and salt. Find it in the Asian food aisle or specialty Asian grocery stores. If unavailable you can use sambal oelek, although the flavour will be a little different.