Korean Butter-Grilled Mussels

Scrub 700 g mussels, pull away the beards, and discard any cracked shells or mussels with an unpleasant smell. Steam them in a covered, wide pan with 2 tablespoons white wine for about 2 minutes, removing the shells as they open and discarding any that remain firmly closed. Keep a small amount of the briny pan liquid rather than draining it all. Melt 25 g butter and 1 tablespoon minced garlic into that liquid over medium-low heat, stirring before the garlic can brown. Return the opened mussels, season with salt and black pepper, and toss briefly. Stop after 2 minutes, or continue for no more than 1 additional minute if the sauce has not coated the shells. This coats the meat and the inside of each shell without extending the cooking long enough to make the mussels tough. Turn off the heat before squeezing in the juice of half a lemon, which balances the rich butter and concentrated shellfish juices. Finish with chives and spoon the sauce from the pan back over the shells while serving them hot.