Mussels are shellfish used for food. The muscle with mantle and entrails are edible. They are rich in proteins, fats and carbohydrates, vitamins and microelements, which makes mussel dishes nutritious and healthy. Purchased raw, peeled mussels must first be thoroughly rinsed to remove sand, and then begin cooking. Mussels do not require the use of a large amount of spices and sauce in dishes, as they overwhelm the taste of the shellfish.

Before you cook mussels, you need to know the main rules for choosing them when purchasing. It is preferable to buy mussels whose valves are tightly closed. Open or damaged ones should not be taken. If the sinks are too heavy, then most likely they are filled with sand. And if they are light, the mollusk in them has already died.

If you are not going to cook shellfish immediately after purchasing, then you need to think about how to keep them alive at home. To do this, place the mussels in one layer, cover with a damp towel and place the container in the refrigerator. You can store them this way for no more than three days.

The mussels in the shells are thoroughly washed, removing sand and algae. Cook them with water, broth or wine for just a few minutes. If the valves of the clam do not open, then it must be thrown away. Cooked mussels should be eaten immediately.

Methods for cooking mussels over a fire

The most delicious are mussels that have only been caught and cooked directly over the fire. For this you need a little - the mussels themselves, lemon, white wine, a rust-free metal sheet and an open fire. A sheet with mussels, cleared of algae, laid out on it is placed above the flame. On a hot sheet, the mollusks will very soon open their valves. After salting, after a few minutes the mussels can be placed on portioned plates. Sprinkle each clam with lemon juice. The dish is ready, and the sound of the waves and the aroma of the sea will give it additional charm.

Mussels can not only be fried over a fire, but also boiled. To do this, you need to take a pan, lemon, rice, salt, herbs. First, the rice is washed and cooked, which is used as the base of the side dish. Then cook the shellfish in salted boiling water for ten to fifteen minutes. Arrange mussels sprinkled with lemon juice on plates, garnish with herbs and lemon slices.

Cooking mussels at home

Under normal conditions, mussels can be purchased frozen. How to cook mussels? To begin with, the shellfish need to be defrosted and the dirt remaining on the shells must be thoroughly washed.

If you plan to cook mussels as a main dish or as an ingredient in a salad, you first need to boil them for 20 minutes in a saucepan with a tightly closed lid. To improve the taste and aroma, add onions, allspice, and bay leaves to the water.

A spectacular and exotic dish - Korean-style mussels. This unusual treat is quite simple to prepare. For it you will need 500 grams of mussels, three onions, 50 mg of soy sauce, a large spoon of honey, spices you can take black and red pepper, coriander, nutmeg, lime. Boil the mussels for five minutes and let the water drain from them. The onion is cut into half rings, salted, sprinkled with lime and left to marinate. While cooking the onions, add spices to the soy sauce - nutmeg, red and black pepper, lime juice, honey, and heat. Onions, sauce, clams are combined, sprinkled with pepper, mixed and placed in the refrigerator. The dish is consumed cold.

Mussel pilaf

One way to please your loved ones with an amazing dish is with mussels. For this dish you need to take 700 grams of mussels, 200 grams of rice, one carrot and onion, a teaspoon of tomato paste, pepper and salt. Frozen mussels are boiled in salted water. The water in which the shellfish were boiled will still be useful to you.

In a heated frying pan with heated oil, you need to put grated carrots, finely chopped onions, add rice to the vegetables, and fry.

When the onion turns golden, add two cups of mussel broth, tomato, bay leaf, salt, ground pepper, and cook over low heat. When the rice is almost completely cooked, add the mussels. The dish is served hot. Decorated with greenery.

Healthy and tasty mussel dishes, prepared by the skillful hands of the housewife according to proven recipes, can become the main decoration of the holiday table.

The sea has fed man for thousands of years. It is a repository of food reserves, which are famous for their nutritional value - rare microelements, vitamins, amino acids, high-quality protein. In addition to fish, the seas and oceans are home to octopuses, crabs, squid, scallops and many other healthy seafood that are suitable for food, including mussels. Which have tender soft meat with a sweetish taste. When it is boiled, it gives off a pleasant aroma. Pilaf, soups, salads, and stews are prepared from mussel meat. It is salted, pickled, smoked, baked, fried. Mussels are served with pasta, cereals, potatoes, and vegetables. It should be remembered that it is advisable to consume cooked shellfish immediately; do not store them for more than twelve hours, otherwise poisoning is possible.

Mussels - food preparation

Before consumption, shellfish require some preparation. If you do not want to chew sand while eating, frozen mussels must be rinsed very thoroughly after defrosting.

If you are going to cook mussels in their shells, longer preparation will be required. First of all, it is necessary to visually inspect them and remove shellfish with damaged shells; they are not eaten. To open the valves, the mussels must be placed in a hot frying pan or lowered into boiling water for two minutes. Then the meat is removed from the shell, the growth (a bunch of algae that attaches the mollusks to the stones) is pulled out, and thoroughly washed to remove sand and stones.

Mussels - the best recipes

Recipe 1: Marinated mussels

One of the most delicious dishes that can be prepared from mussels is to simply marinate them. They turn out very tasty and cheaper than store bought ones. You can add them to a salad, put them on a piece of toast, and just eat them. We offer two cooking options. In the first case, the marinade is indicated without adding vinegar - with spices, white wine and lemon, in the second - with vinegar. And so, so delicious.

Ingredients (1 option): 0.5 kg mussels, vegetable oil – 2-3 table. false., ? lemon (juice), 150 ml dry wine (white), 1 clove of garlic, 1 teaspoon each. lie honey and prepared mustard, salt, pepper, 1 bay leaf, several sprigs of fresh dill and cilantro.

Cooking method

If using frozen mussels, defrost.
Prepare a spiced sauce in which the mussels will be boiled. To do this, boil the wine, put garlic in it (no need to chop), bay leaf, pepper, lower the mussels and boil for about four minutes (measure the time from the moment of boiling). Drain in a colander.
Make the marinade. Finely chop the greens, add lemon juice, oil, pepper, mustard, and salt. You can use any mustard, for example, French or spicy.
Transfer the still warm mussels, along with a bay leaf and a clove of garlic, into the marinade and let it sit in the refrigerator for about five hours. It is more convenient to marinate in a glass jar or deep bowl. By the way, you can marinate shrimp in the same way.

Ingredients (Option 2): 0.5 kg of mussels, half a glass of water, 1 table. spoon of table vinegar (9%), 1.5-2 table. lie sugar, salt to taste.

Cooking method:

Thaw the shellfish. Salt the water, boil and boil the mussels in it for three to four minutes.
Make the marinade. It should taste sweet and sour. Dissolve salt and sugar in boiling water and add vinegar. Place mussels in hot marinade. In an hour they will be ready to eat. You can put them in jars and add a little vegetable oil.

Recipe 2: Baked mussels

Baked mussels are not only delicious, but also look beautiful, especially if they are baked and served directly in their shells. This dish is suitable for both a festive table and a romantic evening. We offer two cooking options: in the first option, seafood is baked in shells under a cheese crust, in the second – in a regular form with sauce.

Ingredients (1 option): 0.5 kg of mussels in shells, 2 tomatoes, 2 cloves of garlic, 50 g of butter, spices, 150 g of hard cheese.

Cooking method

Rinse the mussels well, peel the shells and boil for ten to fifteen minutes. You can add bay leaf, spices if desired, and salt to the water. During cooking, all the doors should open. Those that remain closed should not be eaten. Divide the cooled clams into halves and carefully separate the meat, which should be put back into the shells.

Grind the garlic and tomatoes using a grater or blender. Place a piece of butter and a spoonful of tomato mixture into each half of the meat, grate the cheese on top and bake for 20 minutes (180C).

Ingredients (Option 2): 0.5 kg of mussels, peppercorns, hard cheese – 100g. Sauce: soft processed cheese – 100-150g, 200ml cream, 25g butter, 1 yolk, 1 table. spoon of flour, 3 cloves of garlic.

Cooking method

Defrost the mussels, boil for three minutes in salted water, adding peppercorns (5-6 pcs.).

Prepare the sauce. Chop the garlic and add the remaining ingredients for the sauce. It is better to mix with a whisk or blender so that there are no lumps.

Place the mussels in a frying pan or mold, pour over the sauce. Sprinkle with shredded cheese and bake for 20-25 minutes (200C).

Recipe 3: Fried mussels

Fried mussels are a simple dish to prepare, but delicious in taste. Both vegetable oil and melted butter will be used for frying. Nutritionists recommend butter, which contains at least 25% vegetable fats. But it must be melted first. Otherwise, harmful carcinogens may form in the pan when it burns.

Ingredients: 0.5 kg of mussels, vegetable oil, 2 onions, salt, ground hot pepper, seafood seasoning (or herbs de Provence).

Cooking method

Chop the onion into cubes and fry until golden. Add the mussels and fry, stirring constantly, for five to seven minutes over medium heat. Add salt, pepper, seasoning and remove from heat. Let it brew for a while, covered. Can be served with rice, potatoes or as a separate dish.

— You should eat shellfish caught between June and February, because... In spring they are not so tasty and fatty.

— Mussels should not be subjected to long-term heat treatment, otherwise they will be dry and tasteless. The rule for boiling squids applies to them - no more than three to five minutes.

— Fresh mussels should not have an unpleasant odor and have tightly closed flaps that cannot be opened by hand.

Mussels are not only a delicious delicacy, but also a very healthy product, which consists of high-quality natural protein, equal in amino acid content to a chicken egg. Shellfish also contain more than 30 trace elements and minerals, therefore, in order to preserve the nutritional value of this product, you should learn how to prepare it correctly.

However, first, let's take a look at what dishes can be prepared from this valuable product. Thanks to their very delicate sweet and salty taste, as well as low calorie content, mussels have gained wide popularity in the kitchens of many countries around the world.

The surprisingly tender and tasty meat of these mollusks is great for preparing a wide variety of dishes. Pilaf, salads, stews, and soups are prepared from mussels. Mussels are fried in batter, smoked, cooked over a fire, boiled, salted and pickled. They go great with potatoes, pasta, rice, fish, meat, fruits, vegetables and herbs.

We have selected especially for you the simplest tips on how to cook mussels at home:

Fresh shellfish smell only of the sea. If there is an unpleasant odor or any other foreign odors, this means that the product is spoiled. When choosing mollusks in shells, you should pay attention to whether their valves are tightly closed. If you buy frozen peeled mussels, look at their color - it should be light yellow. Also pay attention to whether there are any cracks on the surface of the shellfish, which indicate that these mussels have either already been thawed or were stored incorrectly, so they have not only lost their beneficial properties, but may also be harmful to health. It is also important to know that large mussels are much tastier and juicier than their small counterparts.

It is important to know that fresh shellfish should be cooked on the day they are purchased; in extreme cases, mussels can be stored in the refrigerator for a maximum of several days. Before you start cooking shelled mussels, they should be thoroughly washed to remove sand and other contaminants. If you purchased shellfish in shells, you need to wash them very thoroughly, and also remove open shells and shells with cracks - they are not edible, in principle, just like those that do not open during the cooking process. Then everything depends on your imagination and taste preferences. The main thing is not to overcook the shellfish (cleaned mussels are cooked for about five minutes, and clams in the shells - until the shells open), and also do not get carried away with strong sauces and seasonings, otherwise you will overwhelm the delicate taste of the sea. The ideal sauce for ready-made mussels is a mixture of lemon juice, white wine, herbs and garlic.

Frozen clams are just as easy to prepare as fresh ones. To begin, the mussels should be thawed and then rinsed thoroughly. Determining the readiness of shellfish is also quite easy: peeled frozen mussels are cooked for about seven minutes, and shellfish in shells - until the shells open. The only difference is that the mussels in the shells must be brought to a boil, and then drained and boiled in new water until the shells open (about 10 minutes).

It is advisable to serve mussels hot, since cooled shellfish lose a significant part of their taste.

You should not cook shellfish for future use, as due to the high risk of poisoning, it is not recommended to reheat this dish and store it for a long time.

There is an important nuance in the preparation of this seafood product: despite the fact that juicy mussel meat goes well with almost any food, it is better to serve it solo. To emphasize the taste and at the same time maintain the sophistication of this dish, you can complement it with lemon, herbs and good white wine.

Bon appetit!

Irina Kamshilina

Cooking for someone is much more pleasant than cooking for yourself))

18 Mar 2014

Content

Peeled mussels without shells and shells are often sold frozen and do not need to be peeled. Learn to cook them deliciously, and then your loved ones will not argue that life is good without this mollusk.

Mussels, as one of the most popular seafood, are famous for their nutritional value and beneficial properties. However, having tried the inhabitants of exotic mollusks in shells, not many remain fans of their taste. This is because this shellfish is not always prepared correctly. There are certain rules that are followed when cooking so that the shellfish becomes truly tasty. Let's figure out how to cook frozen peeled mussels so that their taste is delicious and unforgettable.

Useful properties of mussels

These amazing mollusks contain a large amount of amino acids necessary for humans. For example, the amino acid tryptophan, which promotes the production of the joy hormone. Mussel protein is superior in tryptophan, methionine, and keratin content to fish and meat proteins. Obtaining methionine from food is necessary for humans, since this amino acid is not synthesized in our body. These shellfish contain a lot of zinc, they have a beneficial effect on the health of our skin, nails and hair.

For diet lovers, mussels are just a godsend. They contain a lot of protein, practically no fat, and those that do contain do not contain “bad” cholesterol. Keratin reduces appetite, promotes the production of melanin and the reduction of fat, it improves the functioning of the adrenal glands, thyroid gland and pituitary gland. By adhering to various diets, you can eat delicious and delicious dishes with this seafood without gaining weight at all. Calorie content – ​​100 kcal/1 kg of product.

This is interesting! The average Dutch person eats approximately 10 kg of mussel meat per year.

In order for the dish to be tasty and healthy, the ingredients must be fresh and of high quality. Here are some tips on how to choose good mussels:

• Frozen seafood should be free of snow and cracks in the glaze of the ice. If such defects exist, most likely the product has already been defrosted, and during the next freezing its beneficial properties were lost.
• Cleaned frozen shellfish should be light in color
• Choose the largest mussels - they are considered more juicy and tasty. On packages with this product there are always two numbers separated by a fraction, which tell the buyer the number of pieces of the product per kilogram, for example 55/1 or 30/1. Therefore, the lower the first number, the larger the mollusks will be.
• Mussels are a natural filter of the aquatic environment. They filter up to 700 liters of water per day. If shellfish are grown in environmentally polluted regions, they can accumulate a lot of toxins. It is better not to use such a product, as there is a high risk of poisoning. When choosing a product, look at the place of production on the packaging or, if you buy in bulk, ask the seller for a quality certificate.

This is interesting! From 1 kilogram of unpeeled mussels, approximately 100 grams of peeled mussels come out.

Preparing to cook

Freshly frozen peeled shellfish need to be thawed in the refrigerator. After this, rinse them well in a colander under strong water pressure, since there may be sand particles in the meat.

How to prepare frozen peeled mussels: cooking methods

Mussels are prepared in various ways: in a slow cooker, microwave, steamed. They are boiled, fried, baked, pickled. They only need to be thermally treated for 3-5 minutes. This dietary seafood is used to prepare soups, salads, appetizers, and hot dishes.

Tip: To prevent the mussels from smelling fishy, ​​sprinkle them with lemon juice.

Fried mussels with onions

A very simple cooking method. The clams need to be steamed for 15 minutes. Heat olive oil in a frying pan and fry onions in it. Cut the blanched clams into small pieces and mix with fried onions. Salt and pepper. After 5 minutes the dish is ready.

Here's a look at how to fry mussels in a frying pan.

Mussels in Belgian style

You need to pour 700 g of white wine into a saucepan and put on low heat, let the wine simmer for about one minute. Then add some Provençal herbs and add 400 grams of mussels. Leave to simmer over low heat, stirring them occasionally in the pan. You need to simmer for 5-7 minutes.

Sauce. In a small saucepan, heat the low-fat cream (500 ml) and add one tablespoon of Dijon mustard. Finely chop the leek and also add to the cream. Some cooks add some capers along with onions. Cut approximately 200 g of blue cheese into small cubes and add to our sauce. Season with white pepper and bring the sauce until cooked, until it becomes thick sour cream.

Place the mussels in a colander, place on a plate, pour over and serve.

Mussels baked with cream sauce

Boil the mussels in salted water for 3-5 minutes, then drain the water. For the sauce, mash 2 processed cheeses well with a fork, add one chicken yolk, one tablespoon of flour, one tablespoon of starch, squeeze out 3 cloves of garlic and mix everything well until smooth. Add about 300 grams of cream to the resulting mixture, add salt and pepper and mix everything well again.

Line a baking dish with foil or grease it with butter, and transfer the boiled shellfish into it. Pour the sauce over the dish and sprinkle grated hard cheese on top. Place all this in an oven preheated to 200° and bake until golden brown. When serving, sprinkle the dish with grated cheese again.

To prepare this seafood, heat treatment is not necessary; they are simply marinated. To make the brine, boil 1 liter of water in a saucepan, add one peeled onion, one red pepper and salt into the boiling water. Boil the brine for 15 minutes. Add one teaspoon of liquid smoke, 0.5 kilograms of thawed peeled mussels and leave to cook for another 3 minutes.

In a separate bowl, mix chopped garlic (1 head) and spices to taste. For example, 2 tablespoons of dry dill and one teaspoon of black peppercorns will do.

Remove the seafood cooked in brine from the pan. In a half-liter jar, add garlic and spices to the bottom and place shellfish on top. Fill everything with 200 milliliters of vegetable oil. After 12 hours, the fragrant marinated mussels are ready! They are served as a snack or used as an ingredient in other dishes.

Setting the “Baking” mode, fry the thawed mussels in olive oil. Cooking in this mode is designed for 25 minutes, but you need to fry for 15. After 15 minutes, add two fresh tomatoes chopped in a blender and 200 ml of low-fat cream to the seafood. Leave the dish in the multicooker until the end of the “Baking” mode, that is, for another 10 minutes. The excess liquid will evaporate, and the mussels will acquire a pleasant tomato-creamy taste.
These mussels are served with any side dish, for example, you can make a puree of baked celery root with butter.

Pasta lovers will definitely appreciate the simplicity of this recipe, and the dish will become one of their favorites. In the same water, alternately boil: 200 g of mussels, 200 g of shrimp, 200 g of squid. Cooking each seafood for 5 minutes. When all the seafood is cooked, do not pour out the broth; we will need it for the sauce.

In a large frying pan, fry 4 large cloves of garlic in butter. When the garlic adds aroma to the oil, take it out and throw it away. Place 500 g of pasta, cooked until half cooked, into the aromatic oil. Add boiled seafood there, salt and pepper to taste and add 200-300 ml of the broth in which the seafood was boiled. Mix all this well, cover with a lid and cook for 10 minutes.

Sauce. For the sauce you will need 150 ml of seafood broth, 150 ml of low-fat cream. All this needs to be salted and thickened over low heat with 1-2 tablespoons of flour.

Serve pasta with cream sauce on a large plate. Before serving, garnish the dish with parsley sprigs.

Mussels appetizer for beer

A great snack to go with beer – fried mussels with cheese. This snack is very easy and quick to prepare.

So, heat 100 grams of butter in a frying pan, add 3 cloves of grated garlic to it. The garlic needs to fry a little to release the flavor into the oil. Next, use a slotted spoon to carefully remove the fried garlic from the frying pan. We immerse our shellfish in aromatic oil. Season everything with salt, pepper and fry over high heat for 2-3 minutes, stirring constantly. Add grated cheese to the pan, mix well and cook for a minute until done. Beer snack is ready! Bon appetit!

In the shell, what are their benefits for humans and how they can harm. Let's try to figure out whether it is possible to eat them or whether it is better to give up such a beloved delicacy. And also with what dishes can be prepared using these underwater inhabitants.

What is it?

Before we talk about how to cook mussels in a shell, we will talk about the seafood itself. It is generally accepted that this is a very useful, healthy food, containing a lot of protein, vitamins and minerals with low calorie content. Marine bivalves live in all oceans and seas, and today there are even special farms where they are grown for the food industry. The production period for shellfish takes one and a half years. This is exactly how long it takes for seafood to grow to marketable size.

They sell mussels in shells; the recipe for preparing them involves using only tightly closed shellfish, without damaging the hard shell. They should smell like the sea, this is a sure sign that the mussels are fresh. If at the end of cooking the doors remain closed, eating such seafood is strictly prohibited. In stores, shellfish are most often sold boiled and then frozen. Before cooking, they should be thawed at room temperature and be sure to smell: if the smell is foreign, the product is spoiled. If the aroma is pleasant, then you can safely cook them further.

Delicacy

In shells, we'll tell you a little later. Now let's talk about what part of the shellfish is edible. Muscle (meat part), liquid and mantle are suitable for food. This is very tender and sweetish meat. The muscle that opens and closes the valves is, in principle, not poisonous, but it is tough and tasteless.

Sea creatures are prepared in different ways: boiled, stewed, fried, baked, salted, smoked. They are included in various dishes, and are also an independent dish or snack. Mussels that have undergone heat treatment must be eaten immediately; they cannot be stored or reheated: this is fraught with poisoning. Only short-term heat treatment is allowed before opening the doors, and then quick freezing: seafood can be stored this way for three months.

Several recipes

Now it's time to tell you how to cook mussels in a shell. The easiest way is to boil them. For 1 kg of shellfish you need to take a liter of water, the juice of one lemon, salt and other spices to taste. The seafood is thoroughly washed, the shells are cleaned of limestone deposits, suckers, sand and algae. If the valves are found to be slightly open, the mussels are mercilessly thrown away. Boil water with spices and lemon juice, pour it over the clams so that the shells are not covered. Keep on fire for no more than five minutes and remove.

Recipe No. 2: mussels in sauce. For a kilogram of seafood you will need:

• one lemon;
• 80 ml vegetable oil (preferably olive);
• five cloves of garlic;
• herbs and spices to taste.

The washed and sorted mollusks are poured with boiling water and heated until the valves open slightly, after which they are removed. While the mussels are cooking, prepare the sauce: place the garlic cloves in the heated oil until a slight aroma appears. Then we take out the cloves and lower the seafood without the top flap. Squeeze lemon there, add chopped herbs and spices. Simmer under the lid for no more than seven minutes. Sprinkle the finished dish with lemon juice. You can boil mussels in water with white wine (1:1). Then the dish acquires a spicy taste and a light aroma of summer.

Third way. It is very easy to cook mussels in shells in the oven according to the French recipe. The ingredients are still the same: a kilogram of shellfish, spices and salt to taste, fresh herbs, lemon juice and hot chili pepper. So, we wash and sort the seafood, clean the shells. Now place them on a baking sheet, frying pan or hot coals and fry for 10-15 minutes. Next, transfer them to a plate, sprinkle with lemon juice, sprinkle with herbs and pepper. You can eat them with wine or beer, or without anything. Bon appetit!

Benefits and harms

So, the reader already knows how to cook mussels in a shell. Now it’s time to dwell on the benefits and harms of these delicious seafood.

Their benefit lies in the high content of nutrients - protein, mineral salts, fatty acids and amino acids, vitamins A, B, PP, B12. Eating mussels has a positive effect on the thyroid gland, nervous system, blood circulation, and helps remove toxins from the body.

The danger of shellfish is that they may contain poison if they were grown in the wrong conditions. There may also be sand deep in the tissues, which negatively affects tooth enamel when consumed.

Contraindications

We figured out how to cook mussels in shells, now let’s find out if everyone can eat them. In principle, everyone can eat this seafood. There are two exceptions: when there is an individual intolerance or allergy, and also if a person suffers from bleeding disorders. If there are no contraindications, you should still eat mussels in moderation, especially if you have not been accustomed to such food since childhood.