Recipes

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Handling instructions

  • Treat mussels like other shellfish and keep them refrigerated or cool with ice at all times
  • Store mussels in fridge with temperatures between zero and 5°C – lower temperatures will kill the mussels
  • Cover the mussels with a clean wet towel to protect them from drying out while in the fridge
  • Good eating shelf life is about 6 days from harvest date if they are held refrigerated or ice
  • Some mussels will partly open up with increasing time but live mussels will close again if the shells are lightly tapped or pushed together
  • Avoid sunlight or other bright lights and wind or draughts, which will accelerate drying out and death
  • A little bit of care is needed before cooking to make sure that only mussels which are alive or in a fresh condition are cooked. So rinse mussels before cooking and discard any that you are not sure of
  • Farmed mussels will not all open up during cooking – some will not open after excessive cooking – you do not have to discard these. just open with a knife and cook a little more if you wish.

Steaming instructions

  • Rinse mussels in fresh water
  • Pull out beards*
  • Steam over medium heat for approximately 3-5 minutes, or until mussels open
  • Do NOT overfill saucepan as bottom mussels will open before the ones at the top. Some mussels might not open. These might need prompting with a knife or might not have cooked as quickly as the others.

Steaming Method
If the mussels you are steaming are fresh you do not need to add any liquid (eg water, white wine). If they are a few days old you will need to add about 1cm of cold liquid to the pan. Never add mussels to boiling liquid.

Pour liquid (if required) in pan, add mussels, place lid on and heat until they start to steam. Remove lid and check. If the mussels are not open yet place lid back on, give the pan a VERY gentle shake and allow to steam until the lid starts to rattle again.

You can use some of the mussel liqueur to add to your sauce.
White wine can be used instead of water. Vegetables and herbs such as celery,onion, parsley, carrot, coriander, garlic, tarragon, chilli, basil, can also be added to the mussels when steaming.

* Beards are more easily removed after steaming though this is not recommended if opening the mussels in a pre-prepared sauce.