Rinse the mussels under cold running tap water. Brush them clean and scrape off any sediments on the shells using a sharp knife.

Then rinse the mussels again and let them drain a little.

Peel the garlic cloves and chop them up finely. Add them together with the fresh thyme sprigs to a large and high pan and pour in a good splash of olive oil.

Place the pan over medium heat and stir well. Cook the garlic for 5 minutes. In the meantime chop up the tomatoes finely. Remove the pips from the black olives if that hasn’t been done yet and chop the olives up roughly. Add both the chopped tomatoes and olives to the garlic in the pan together with the salted capers. Season with a good dash of pepper and salt.

Stir and cook the tomato for 2 minutes. Then pour in the dry white wine.

Stir and bring the wine and tomatoes to a good boil. Then add the rinsed and drained mussels to the pan.

Stir well and cover the pan now. Cook the mussels for 8 to 10 minutes until all the mussels are opened and cooked. Shake the pan regularly. Then remove the lid and stir the cooked mussels well. Season with extra pepper and salt. Remove the thyme. Scoop the mussels into large bowls and divide the rest of the tomato and wine sauce over them. Serve hot.