Tender mussel meat does not require long cooking.
If the mollusks spend more time than they should in boiling water, they will become tough and utterly unfit for human consumption.
In any case, the pleasure that gives properly cooked mussel meat will no longer be. How to cook mussels to preserve all the charm of their sea freshness?
How to choose mussels
For well-known reasons, mussels arrive in Russian stores in frozen form. If this is the first time you have bought this wonderful food product, you need to know how to choose truly high-quality mussels.
• Shellfish in shells should be solid, without cracks and snow "paths" in the glaze. Otherwise, the risk is high that the mussels have already thawed, which means that the nutritional value and benefits are reduced to zero.
• The normal color of mussels peeled from shell is light. If the meat is dark, it may be spoiled.
• When buying, you need to give preference to products of famous brands, in extreme cases, check the availability of certificates. The fact is that mussels pass water through themselves and have the ability to accumulate toxins and other muck, including deadly poisons for health;
• Most tasty are large mollusks: they have more meat and juice. The packaging indicates the number of shellfish in relation to kilogram weight. The smaller this number, the larger the specimens are in the package.
Note: about one hundred grams of pure meat is obtained from a kilogram of mussels in shell.
How to prepare mussels for cooking and how to cook them
Frozen mussels in shell and without shell are prepared differently. In this case, you can pre-unfreeze the mollusks in a shell or not do this - a matter of taste. But in any case it will be necessary to wash thoroughly: sand and seaweed can remain in mussels.
If you decide to defrost shellfish, you can do this like this:
• put the meat cleared of the shell in the refrigerator for defrosting for 2-3 hours;
• Another option is to defrost mollusks in cold water (this method is suitable for unpeeled mussels).
Thawed product should be put in a colander and rinse thoroughly with a stream of ice water. If you do not plan to defrost the mollusks, you just need to wash them, and rub the shell further with a brush to clean it of adhering sand grains and fragments of the ocean flora.
How to cook mussels? The first rule: throw the product into boiling water and be sure to wait for a second boil. From this moment, count the exact number of cooking minutes so as not to spoil the meat.
The second rule: minimum water, especially if the mussels are already peeled. If you pour too much liquid, then a lot of juice will simply disappear. The broth will turn out to be rich, but this is completely unnecessary, since the broth is rarely used as food. To preserve the taste as much as possible, there should be little water: it should only fill the meat slightly.
When cooking mussels in shell, pay attention to the condition of the leaves. If the set time has passed since the moment of boiling, and the sash has not opened, this specimen can be safely thrown away: before you is a spoiled mollusk, not suitable for food. From the opened sink, the meat must be removed, flavored with an aromatic additive to your liking, eat just like that or use to prepare your favorite dish.
As for spices, this is a matter of taste. Someone likes the natural marine taste of tender mussels. In this case, do not drown it with foreign smells of the sea. Someone, on the contrary, prefers to shade the taste of mollusks with lemon, bay leaf, pepper, olive oil, garlic.
How much to cook mussels in shells
Mussels go on sale in three main forms:
• frozen in shells;
• frozen peeled shell (raw);
• boiled-frozen peeled.
How much to cook the mussels depends on the degree of preliminary preparation of the product. The most interesting, but not very convenient option - shellfish in shells. The product is ideal for romantics who want to feel at the seaside or in a small Italian restaurant.
Unpeeled mussels in the shells cook for 7 to 10 minutes. If the product is not previously thawed, the cooking time can be increased by 1-2 minutes. The traditional way of cooking in water is not the only one: mussels can be boiled in white wine or beer.
Traditional way of cooking
• Pour two glasses of water into a pot and bring to a boil.
• After boiling, add salt to taste and toss 450-500 grams of mussels.
• After boiling again, cook clams for 8-10 minutes.
• Opened mussels are ready.
You can serve them in their entirety, without removing them from the shell and spreading them on beautiful plates. Sprinkle with fresh lemon juice or put lemon slices on a plate. Additionally, you can serve any sauce and herbs.
If you need to use meat for cooking, for example, salad, the sash needs to be removed, and the mussels should be washed additionally with warm water.
Mussels cooked in white wine
Wine aroma piquant tender meat. It is better to take inexpensive dry wine. You can replace it with a semi-dry or semi-sweet variety.
• Pour one and a half glasses of dry white wine into the pan.
• After boiling, lay out 300-350 grams of mussels.
• Boil for 7-10 minutes after boiling the liquid again.
Remove the prepared mussels with a slotted spoon from the liquid, arrange on plates and serve. Discard unopened shells. You can serve the dish with cheese or cream sauce.
Mussels brewed in beer
Mussels are often served with beer, previously fried in garlic-cheese sauce. However, the foamy drink itself can be an excellent medium for boiling mussels in the sink. It is advisable to use spicy dark beer: it has a special aroma that goes well with the taste of clam meat. Optionally, you can take light beers.
• Pour two glasses of beer into the pan.
• When the drink begins to boil, carefully lower 450 grams of thawed mussels there.
• Boil for 5-6 minutes.
Serve with lemon and garlic appetizer. Optionally offer a glass of chilled beer to the mussels.
How to cook frozen mussels without shell
If you don’t feel like messing with the romance of the shells, you can buy freshly peeled mussels that are already peeled. How to cook mussels without a shell? After boiling, it will take no more than 7 minutes if the product is used unfrozen. Pre-thawed mussel meat is cooked for no more than 5 minutes.
How to cook frozen mussels? The traditional way of cooking in water is no different from the above. It is necessary to bring a small amount of water to a boil and lower the clams there. Use meat for cooking main dishes.
More interesting is the cooking method, in which mussels become a separate dish.
Mussels cooked in wine with spices
• Bring one and a half glasses of dry white wine to a boil.
• When it boils, put some spices for seafood in water, add salt to taste, add pepper.
• If you want to shade the sea taste even stronger, seasonal greens are allowed.
• Dip 300 grams of mussels with boiling wine.
• Cook for five minutes under the lid over very low heat.
Remove the prepared mussels with a slotted spoon and serve as a dish on your own. Decorate a plate with lemon slices. Fresh lemon juice, which you can flavor the dish, goes well with the taste of seafood.
Mussels cooked in milk
Unusual, but very tasty combination of marine taste with the aroma of milk. How to cook frozen mussels in milk?
• Pour a little milk into the stewpan (a glass and a half).
• When the milk begins to boil, salt it.
• Lower the mussels (300-400 grams is enough) and when stirring so that the milk does not boil, boil the clam meat for no more than five minutes.
In this way, you can cook shellfish with a sink, increasing the cooking time by 5-7 minutes, respectively.
How to cook boiled-frozen mussels
A dish of almost instant cooking - popular boiled mussels frozen after cooking. In fact, they do not need heat treatment, but, you see, I do not really want to use them in this form (even after defrosting). Therefore, before serving, the finished product needs a little refreshment.
How to cook boiled-frozen mussels? Just boil the water, salt it, lower the mussels and hold for no more than two, maximum three minutes after boiling, in boiling salted water. You can add herbs, spices or fresh herbs to your taste. Then recline in a colander, let the water drain and cook according to a further recipe.
There is another way to cook ready-made frozen clams: in olive oil. How to cook boiled-frozen mussels this way?
• Pour an incomplete glass of olive oil (approximately two-thirds) into the stewpan.
• Put a spoonful of spices for fish or seafood, mix.
• Add a clove of garlic if desired (optional).
• When the oil begins to boil, put a packet of mussels and warm in boiling oil for 2-3 minutes.
Put the mussels boiled in this way on a paper towel so that the excess oil is gone. Serve with herbs as an independent, very juicy and tender dish.
