WE LOVE MUSSELS. A LOT. Every time we cook them, we think we should have them way more often. Here are four reasons you should cook them more often.
- Mussels are deliciously, internationally versatile, playing nicely with all kinds of cuisines and flavors. Much like boneless, skinless chicken breasts, mussels are a delicate-tasting blank canvas—they take on the flavors and personality of whatever you cook them in.
- Mussels are easy to cook. Get some aromatics going in a pan, add some liquid, add the mussels. In four to five minutes, they’re done. The most tedious part is cleaning the mussels, and even that’s not bad. And with the farmed mussels you’re likely to encounter, cleaning will be minimal. Discard any mussels with cracked shells or open ones that don’t close when you rap them on the shell.
- Mussels are affordable. In fact, compared to most other seafood choices, they’re downright cheap. Depending on where you’re shopping and the variety you’re buying, you can usually pick up a two-pound sack for $2 to $4 a pound. That two-pound sack will feed two as a main course or four (or five) as a first course.
- Mussels are sustainable. This is a biggie. Of ever-growing importance as many fish species are threatened by overfishing, they’re sustainable. In fact, according to the Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch, the go-to authority on seafood sustainability, farmed mussels are a Best Choice. Mussels are generally farmed using a very low impact method, suspending them from ropes. They’re filter feeders, so wild-caught fish is not used in their feed; farming mussels does not deplete the wild fish stock, as does farming of many other species. Also unlike many other species, farmed mussels can actually improve the health of the environment they are farmed in by filtering the water.
And here are six delicious ways to cook them.
Spicy Mussels with Ginger. Pictured above, mussels get a pan-Asian treatment—and a bit of heat—with ginger, garlic, star anise, Serrano peppers, soy sauce and sake. You’ll find the recipe here.
Moules Marinières (Sailor’s Mussels) and Oven-fried Pommes Frites. Mussels are quintessentially French—as are pommes frites. Here, the mussels steamed in wine with shallots, garlic and lots of parsley and the pommes frites are oven-fried and flavored with herbes de Provence. You’ll find both recipes here.
Mussels in Tarragon Cream Sauce. Quick to make, beautiful to look at and hands-on fun to eat, this makes a delicious main course for two or a sociable starter for four or more. Find the recipe here.
Mussels with Fennel and Star Anise. Mussels steamed in a broth of wine, butter, fennel, shallots, garlic, tomatoes and star anise are an easy, delicious, sustainable dinner. Recipe here.
Curried Mussels with Cilantro. Curry powder, garlic, shallots, coconut milk, wine and cilantro blend into a surprisingly delicate broth for steamed mussels. You’ll find the recipe here.
Baked Mussels with Saffron and Tomatoes. Instead of steaming, mussels are quickly baked over sautéed scallions, garlic, parsley, oregano, saffron and tomatoes. Find the recipe here.