Mmmm… mussels! This is my favorite personal celebration dish, whether it’s Mother’s Day or my birthday, mussels are always my go-to request. They’re sustainable, inexpensive for live seafood, incredibly easy to cook, and absolutely delicious.
Buying the Freshest Mussels
I only use live mussels for the freshest taste and texture. Vacuum-sealed and frozen mussels tend to become tough when cooked and simply don’t capture that wonderful fresh flavour and aroma
In Canada, I typically buy live Atlantic mussels from either:
- Superstore, where I can handpick each mussel
- Effin Seafoods, where they come pre-bagged.
I always purchase my mussels on the day I plan to cook them, or at most, one day before. Freshness is key!
How to Select Live Mussels
Picking out live mussels is almost like fishing – you want to carefully select only the healthiest specimens. Here’s what to look for:
- Alive mussels are completely closed or only slightly open.
- If they are slightly open, tap on the shell – live mussels will respond by trying to close.
- Avoid mussels that are wide open (they’ve died) – the meat inside the shell will look slimy or separated.
- Skip any mussels with cracked shells, as they are generally dead.
Storing Mussels Before Cooking
If I plan to cook the mussels later in the day or the next day, I will do this:
- Place the mussels in a bowl with a thin layer of ice on the bottom
- Cover the bowl with a cold, damp dish cloth.
- Store in the refrigerator until 1 hour prior to cooking.
Preparing Mussels for Cooking
While my husband prepares the aromatics (i.e., herbs and spices) for our recipe, I tackle the important job of cleaning the mussels:
- Purge the sand: Remove the mussels from the refrigerator and place in a bowl of cold water. Add a light dusting of oatmeal or cornmeal to the water. This helps the mussels purge sand and grit from their digestive system – They’ll the oatmeal and expel the unwanted debris.
- De-beard: Remove the byssal threads (the “beard”) that mussel use to anchor themselves to rock or other mussels. Grasp the threads firmly and pull towards the hinge of the shell with a firm tug.
- Scrub the shells: Use a coarse brush (I use a grout bristle brush, but a toothbrush works too) to remove barnacles and sidements from their shells.
- Final check: Discard any mussels that don’t close when handled – this is your last quality check before cooking.
Ingredients
- 2 tbs butter
- 2 pounds live mussels
- 1 fennel (sliced)
- 1 leek (diced)
- 1 stick celery (diced)
- 1 shallot (chopped)
- 1/2 white onion (chopped)
- 1 large tomato (chopped)
- 4 garlic cloves (chopped)
- 1.5 tablespoons Thai green curry paste
- 1 can lite coconut milk
- 3-4 cups no-salt added chicken broth
- 1 tablespoons of sugar (e.g., cane sugar)
- (optional) Zest of lime and/or lime juice
- (optional) 4 lime leaves
Instructions
- In a stock pot with melted butter on medium-low heat, pan fry the aromatics with green curry paste for 5 minutes or until the herbs are soft.
- Add all the liquids and bring to a low boil. Do not let the coconut milk get to a roaring boil.
- Add mussels, cover, and simmer for 5-7 minutes.
- Serve mussels in a bowl with a side toast.
- If mussels are tightly closed, open and smell them before consuming. If they smell very fish or rotten, discard them.
