Any mussels with a broken shell or that don't close when tapped or rinsed get the heave ho from me!...And also any that don't open when cooked. BUT if you toss out all the questionable ones, you won't find ones that don't open.
Love mussels....gotta do that soon!!
Linda C

Prior to cooking, a mussel which closes tightly when disturbed is a live mussel, even if it closes slowly. It's quite usual for a mussel to close slowly.

Mussels which are very recently harvested and properly stored are more apt to be closed or to close more quickly. They will be fresher and have more juice. Mussels gradually lose their moisture during storage. But any live mussel is safe to eat, even if it's past it's prime.

A mussel which fails to open during cooking, when all the other mussels in the pot have opened may be a "mudder", a dead shell packed with mud. I wouldn't expect to find one in a bag of commercially raised mussels because those are cultivated and not in contact with a muddy sea bottom. If you gather your own mussels you may find an occasional mudder.

The pre-cook test is what tells the story. A dead mussel, except for a mudder, will not be closed.

Jim

I have another question about mussels. I like the convenience of the cultivated mussels, but they never seem to have as much flavor as the wild ones. When I buy the wild harvested mussels with the beards, I like to pull the beards off when I clean them. Does this kill the mussel? When is the best time to debeard them??

Thanks!!

seagrass

I too believe the wild ones I gather myself are better than the cultivated ones I buy for convenience.. The wild ones are fresher, although the cultivated ones are not bad in this respect. More important to me, the store bought ones are smaller than I like. Maybe the small size explains the flavor difference you perceive. Or maybe, even if you bought them, they are fresher, because the wild ones sold here on the Cape seem always to be local, while the cultivated ones come from Maine or Canada.

Like you, I have always wondered if pulling out the beard harms the mussel. It doesn't matter much because I debeard them immediately before cooking.

Jim

Steam mussels.

You also end up with wonderful mussel broth.

dcarch

I would have to say no to steaming - try Moules Marinieres. Finely chop onions and garlic. Fry the onion slowly in olive oil until really tender then add garlic. Fry another minute. Then add (for 2 poeple) about 1/4 to 1/3 bottle white wine. bring to the boil, add the mussels and cook, turning, until they're all open. Sprinkle with chopped parsley and serve.

Islay - I completely agree! I use the same method for clams also. YUM! And I will even admit to pouring the entire mess over spaghetti or linguini to catch all that lovely sauce.

Alexa

I do like Islay does, but add a couple of chopped tomatoes, add some wine.....simmer about 10 minutes then add the mussles. Serve with a lovely crusty baguette to sop up the juices!

Posted by islay_corbel "I would have to say no to steaming - try Moules Marinieres. ----"

That's a very nice recipe. I will have to try that sometime for sure. In fact, that is not very different than one steamed recipe that I like.

� 2 lb live mussels
� 1 T unsalted butter
� 3/4 cup white wine
� 2 chopped scallions or 1 chopped shallot
� 2 chopped green garlic shoots or 2 cloves chopped garlic
Mussels are steamed in the above liquid.

When I was in Paris, I had the use of a friend's apartment on Champs Elysees. Not far from the apartment was Leon de Bruxelles, on Champs Elysees. I went there many time to try out their many ways of preparing mussels. The one I really like is the steamed mussels.

I steam mussels for pasta using white clam sauce recipes. I also steam mussels for deep frying.

dcarch

I don't eat the ones that are still closed after steaming. This is as much for convenience as for safety. I'm glad you posted this - time to get a mess of mussels!

To me, all the methods posted above are minor variations on Moules Marinieres and any one of them will yield a delicious dish. I steam them with white wine, water, onion, thyme and parsley. Not too much liquid, so the mussel juices are not diluted more than necessary. They are done when open -- about ten minutes.

I hope anyone who has not cooked mussels will not have the impression from the first few posts that there is anything risky or tricky about cooking mussels. Nothing could be easier or more rewarding for the small effort involved.

Jim

I agree with Jim - they're relatively inexpensive and quite delicious. They're also gorgeous! I love them cooked in a sauce of olive oil with garlic. chopped tomatoes, linguicia and white wine over linguini with fresh chopped parsley and garlic bread. To die for!!

Sadly I have to make this at home now because the Eastham Lobster Pool has gone Touristy and one cannot get the original menu any longer. Boo hoo.

seagrass

I like to do mussels in our big wok. It's really easy to stir them because it's a more shallow vessel. And it also has a big lid, so if I want to steam them, it's easy.

The last time we made them I wanted something different that the traditional white wine steam we had done previously. I mixed together some thai green curry paste, minced garlic, coconut milk, lime juice, white wine and lemongrass. Added the mussels and finished it with fresh cilantro. They were really wonderful.

Hubby did however chip his tooth on a pebble in one of them. I guess I should have soaked them longer?

"I like to do mussels in our big wok.-----"

Great suggestion. I have forgotten about that. I you have a few lbs of mussels to cook, a wok makes it so easy to have all the mussels cooked at the same time in the sauce,

dcarch