Which mussels to discard

To freeze, remove mussel meat from the shell. Wrap the meat in freezer paper and place in a plastic freezer bag. Store for up to 2 months.

Thaw the frozen mussels in the refrigerator overnight. To thaw faster, place the mussels, in a water proof plastic storage bag, in the sink with cool running water. Allow approximately 30 minutes per pound. How to Prepare and Open Mussels Reviews. There currently aren't any reviews or comments for this article. Be the first! Rate It! Add A Review Now! Comment on this. How to Prepare and Open Clams. How to Prepare and Open Oysters. How to Prepare and Devein Shrimp. How to Remove Meat from Lobster.

Follow Us! Beef Cooking Times. Chicken Cooking Times. Cooking Temperature and Time. Food Substitutions. Ham Cooking Times. The first step to the mussel prep is to clean your mussels under cold water by gently scrubbing them and removing their 'beards' - a seaweed like string that protrudes from the shell, which is used by the mussel to grip onto the rope. To remove, pull firmly away from the mussel.

Mussels will naturally 'gape' when out of water, this means they naturally open and close their shells while in storage. If a mussel remains "gaping", run cold fresh water over the mussel while tapping with a spoon or on a chopping board - in most cases the mussel will close up tightly.

If there are any that are 'gaping' open or do not close, you might want to discard them. Barnacles and white worm grow on the outside of mussels' shells. To remove, scrape off with a blunt knife then rinse quickly under cold water.

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We wouldn't be mad if you threw some lemongrass, chiles, or shallots in there, depending on where you want to take the flavor. Cooking aromatics before adding the liquid and mussels builds a base for your sauce, which is going to be important down the line, when you sop it up with thick slabs of bread.

Mussels are cooked through steam, which means you're going to need some liquid in the pot to get things going. Why use water when you have things like coconut milk, soy sauce , fish sauce , chopped tomatoes in their juice, or maybe even a bit of booze? Adding a bracingly dry white wine or a crisp lager to your pot will infuse the shellfish with flavor—not to mention help create a pool of sauce to be poured all over the mussels. Whatever liquid you choose, it will add and carry flavor from your aromatics into the mussels.

Once you've cooked the aromatics and added the liquid and mussels, things happen fast. Bring the liquid up to a boil and immediately lower it to a lively simmer. A rolling boil will cook the mussels too aggressively, but you're not aiming for low and slow, either.

The mussels cook when hot steam produced from the simmering liquid wafts through the pot. You want to minimize any of that precious, aromatic hot air leaving the pot, but we do want to make sure the mussels are cooking evenly.

We say only open the pot once, about seven minutes into the simmer, for a quick stir.