Knowing how to buy and clean mussels will help you make better decisions about the food you eat and ensure an enjoyable seafood meal.If you want to create an elegant main course with very little effort, you should know a little about gathering and preparing mussels.
Step 1: Choose to buy live mussels.
Pick mussels with closed shells.There are mussels that have their shells open.An open shell doesn't mean the mussel is bad.They will open their shells slightly if they are left undisturbed.If a shell is not closed, tap it.The shell of the mussel can still be closed.If the mussel does not close its shell, discard it.
Step 2: Pick fresh mussels.
The shells of the mussels should be shiny.They should smell like water.
Step 3: Do not pick out shells that are broken or split.
Step 4: Don't buy mussels that have unexpected weight proportions.
Pass on mussels that are heavy or light.
Step 5: Wait to eat the mussels until you are ready to clean them.
The meat is fresh if you can prepare it and eat it right away.If you will be waiting several days to prepare your mussels, store them in the refrigerator and keep them damp either with wet newspaper around them or a damp cloth.If you store mussels in a plastic container or plastic bag, they will be suffocated.If you wait to clean them, they will stay alive longer.
Step 6: Get rid of barnacles.
To remove barnacles and seaweed from the mussels' shells, use a small, stiff brush and water.
Step 7: The outside of the mussels need to be cleaned.
You can put your mussels on a tray.You can rinse the mussels with fresh water.Sand and dirt can be removed from the mussels.If you want to kill the mussels, don't submerge them in water or soak them.
Step 8: The beards should be removed.
Some cultivated mussels will have their beards removed when you buy them.You will need to remove the beard if it is still in tact.To remove a beard from a mussel, grab hold of the beard, a brown, stringy tuft coming out from between the two shells, and give it a firm pull.During this process, the beard may come off.Cut the beard away from the shell with a sharp knife or scissors.