Aside from mussels, there are few other seafoods that so easily lend themselves to quick cooking, and even faster eating. After all, to manipulate a mound of mussels into a meal, a simple steam in broth or other flavorful liquid is all that is needed to pop the bivalves open. But fast doesn't have to be bland. In fact, i find the belgian method of steaming mussels with a white ale to be of the utmost flavorespecially when the whole mess is embellished with crunchy bacon.