1. Clean mussels: scrub shells with a rough scrubber and remove beards by grasping beard and pulling towards you (the hinge end should be closest to you). A paper towel or regular towel can help add traction if you can't seem to keep ahold of the beards.
2. Add all mussels to a bowl of cool water and sprinkle cornmeal over them. Leave for 30 minutes, changing the water once if a ton of grit accumulates on the bottom.
3. Lift the mussels out of the water leaving the grit on the bottom of the bowl. Add to freshwater again if desired while prepping a meal or cook immediately.
For pasta:
4. Boil a large pot of salted water. Cook pasta al dente. Add butter and parsley and hold warm until serving.
For mussels:
5. Heat olive oil in a large skillet and sauté shallots 3-4 minutes seasoning with salt and pepper. Add garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Add wine and simmer for 2 minutes.
6. Add brother, red pepper flakes and mussels. Simmer for 5-8 minutes until all mussels have opened. Discard any mussels that have not opened after this time.
7. Add mussels to pasta and season the pan sauce to taste. Pour sauce over mussels and pasta and serve immediately with lemons, plenty of crusty bread and a bottle of good white wine.