Have You Been Sleeping on Mussels? Here’s How to Enjoy Them

Seafood lovers owe it to themselves to try mussels, an often overlooked seafood. Many home cooks are afraid to tackle mussels as they think they’re hard to cook with, but once you master them, you’ll find that they’re easy to prepare. Here’s how to buy, store, prepare, and cook mussels.

Buying

Mussels are one of the seafood you’ll enjoy much more when it’s fresh. Sure you can get them frozen or tinned, but the flavor and texture can’t be beaten with fresh ones. When buying mussels, try and get ones that have tightly closed shells and that have a fresh, briny smell. For the main course, you should get about one pound per person and for an appetizer, about half of that.

Storing

Because mussels are living, it’s important to store them properly. If you plan on eating the mussels within a day or two, nestle them in a bowl and cover them with a damp kitchen towel. Avoid storing them in airtight containers or plastic bags as this will suffocate them.

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Beer mussels

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Prepping

Before you eat them, move them to the sink and rinse them off. Any cracked ones should be discarded as they’re probably dead. To check if the mussels are still alive, tap the shells gently against the counter and if they close, they’re okay to eat. For mussels that still have their “beards” attached (the wiry threads used to attach themselves to surfaces), remove them before cooking.

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⁣ ⁣If you are craving seafood or any gourmet ingredients, go and check out @yuppiechef page where they are running an incredible giveaway of the Food Boxes from @wildpeacockproducts. There are 4 different boxes with restaurant-quality ingredients that are delivered right to your door. The seafood box is next-level and has a pack of frozen mussels so you can make this dish.⁣ ⁣ ⁣My Thai red curry mussels takes only 10 minutes to make and the heat level is around 2 out of 5 (I’m a bit of a wimp when it comes to chilli.) If you like yours über hot, you may want to add a dash more. I have made a portion for one, just adjust accordingly for more people. See the recipe below and linked in my profile:⁣ ⁣ ⁣ ⁣ ⁣Recipe ~ serves 1 ⁣ ⁣ ⁣500g fresh or frozen mussels in their shell⁣ ⁣1/2 medium onion very finely chopped (about 1/4 cup)⁣ ⁣1Tbsp olive oil⁣ ⁣1Tbsp Thai red curry paste⁣ ⁣60ml / 1/4 cup dry white wine (or stock)⁣ ⁣1/2 cup coconut milk or cream⁣ ⁣chopped coriander for garnish (if using coconut milk) parsley if using cream)⁣ ⁣slices of toasted baguette to soak up the sauce⁣ ⁣Heat the olive oil in a medium pot on low and fry the onions gently until softened.⁣ ⁣ ⁣ ⁣ ⁣Increase the heat to medium / hot and fry the curry paste until it just starts to catch on the bottom of the pan. Add the wine and deglaze the pan. immediately add the mussels and cover the pot with a lid. Allow to steam for a few minutes until they have opened. Discard any unopened mussels.⁣ ⁣ ⁣ ⁣Add the coconut milk/cream and stir, cover and allow to heat through. Scatter over the chopped coriander or parsley and serve with crusty white bread or toasted slices.⁣ ⁣ ⁣ ⁣ ⁣ ⁣ ⁣#onepanmeal #weeknightmeal #fromthesea #quickmeal #eatrealfood #healthycooking #healthyeats #drizzleanddip #seafoodsupper #food24 #foodfluffer #seafoodie #musselsrecipe #easycookingrecipes

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Cooking

One of the beautiful things about this seafood is that its mild flavor makes it versatile for any cuisine. Some things you can pair them with include a cream-based sauce, a tomato-parsley recipe, or Thai flavors. Remember that mussels cook quickly, so lay out all your ingredients before you start cooking them.