|
SPECIES |
Mussels |
|
BINOMIAL NAME |
Mytilus edulis |
|
FISHING METHODS |
Small-scale dredging |
|
MSC CERTIFIED |
Among others, Scottish Mussels, Limfjord (Denmark), Oosterschelde (The Netherlands), Northern Ireland (for more information on the MSC see here) |
|
TINNED OPTIONS |
Mussels in water, mussels in mustard-dill, mussels in chilli-mango, smoked mussels |
TO RETAIN FLAVOUR, ONLY ADD MUSSELS TO A DISH AT THE LAST MINUTE.
WHEREVER there are mussels, there will be plenty of mussel farmers. They gather the mussel seed from the mussel beds and transfer them to their own plots where they are cultivated to the desired size. Sustainable mussel-seed fishermen can be found in Zeeland in The Netherlands, the South-West of England and the Limfjord in Denmark. Their sustainable method is necessary, as mussel seed is becoming scarcer in many territories, like the Dutch Wadden Sea. The stillprevalent dredging method – in which heavy chain nets scrape the sea bed – damages the natural habitats of other sea creatures. Alternative methods like the Zeeland fishermen’s mussel seed-gathering systems are not just incredibly resourceful, their payoff is also very promising. The mussel seed is caught using net and rope structures and transported to the mussel plots at the bottom of the Eastern Scheldt in Zeeland, where over a few years they mature into delicious morsels.
THIS mussel seed gathering technique is similar to that of the Spanish mussel fishers. Off the Galician coast, the fishermen build wooden structures with ropes. The mussel seed attaches itself to the ropes and is harvested when the mussels have grown large enough. It is also worth mentioning the pilings method, or bouchot technique, that is used off the coasts of Normandy and Brittany in France. There, during low tide, the mussel farmers attach cylindrical nets filled with mussel seed to poles on sandbanks out on the coast. Once the mussel seed has fully grown, the mussels are then harvested and presented to the consumer as moules de bouchots.
THE larger-sized mussels will find their way to the consumer fresh in the shell but a large part of the harvest will be preserved in tins and jars. Tinned mussels can come from anywhere and they will generally hold the smaller mussels. Producers who add the MSC-certification to their tins often include the fishing method and location on the packaging. Most other suppliers only include the prescribed number code, which at least ensures traceability.
MUSSELS in sauce are ready to eat as they are, savoured with a simple chunk of bread. To retain the flavour when cooking mussels, only add them to a dish at the last minute.
MANY Danish fishermen sail from Nybøking harbour to the Limfjord in their colourful boats. They mostly sail alone, so the catch will be worth it financially. Poul Kaergaard takes a different approach; his two boats are manned by Erik and Mogens. They usually set out at 2 a.m. and come back around 4 p.m. the same day. They follow strict, self-imposed rules and only fish in areas of the fjord where the mussel population is strong, and they often collaborate with biologists doing research in the area. This method works: after generations of mussel fishing, the mussel beds are still in a healthy condition and their sustainable approach was awarded the MSC-certified label. To receive the MSC certification, the fishermen didn’t need to change their way of fishing as their traditional fishing techniques already met the requirements perfectly.
MAIN COURSE
SERVES 4
olive oil
2 peppers, deseeded and cut into strips
150g/5½oz soft chorizo, sliced
2 large onions, cut in pieces
1 tbsp tomato purée
300g/10½oz/heaped 1½ cups Spanish paella rice
1 glass of dry white wine
8 garlic cloves, peeled and cut into large chunks
4 ripe vine tomatoes, skinned, deseeded and cut into pieces
1.5l/52fl oz/6½ cups chicken stock
1 tin of mussels in a spicy tomato sauce (120g/4¼oz)
freshly ground black pepper
juice of 1 lemon
1 bunch of coriander, chopped
• Heat the olive oil in a frying pan and fry the peppers over a high heat for about 1 minute, stirring all the time. Remove from the pan and set aside.
• Reheat the pan and fry the chorizo over a medium heat for a few minutes on each side. Remove from the pan and set aside.
• Pour the released oils out of the pan, but don’t clean the pan.
• Gently fry the onions in the remaining chorizo oil.
• Add the tomato purée to the onion and cook for 1 minute.
• Add the rice and fry for 1 minute, stirring occasionally.
• Pour the wine into the pan and bring to the boil, stirring for 1 minute.
• Add the garlic, tomatoes and reserved peppers with enough of the chicken stock to just cover the rice. Bring to a simmer and simmer gently over a low heat, stirring, until the stock has been absorbed.
• Add the remaining stock a little at a time, stirring, until the rice is just tender and the stock has been absorbed. The cooking time should be about 18 minutes (also see the packet instructions on the rice).
• When the rice is almost cooked, stir in the reserved chorizo and warm through, then add the mussels, black pepper and lemon juice to taste.
• Serve on four deep plates, garnished with the coriander.
STARTER
SERVES 4
THIS is probably the simplest, cheapest and tastiest recipe in this book. When you’re in a Spanish food shop or a good fishmonger, do stock up on a couple of tins of mejillones en escabeche. They keep for years, so if you like the dish it’s worth buying a few. Escabèche is a spicy Spanish marinade made with paprika, pepper and vinegar or lemon. The sour taste goes well with the sweet mussels.
4 red peppers
3 tins of mussels in escabèche sauce (120g/4¼oz per tin)
2 tbsp mayonnaise
1 garlic clove, peeled and crushed
4 slices of white bread, toasted
• Preheat the grill.
• Cut the peppers in half lengthways. Place them cut-side down on greaseproof paper on the grill rack so that any excess liquid can flow freely. Put under the grill and cook, turning once, until both sides are blistered and blackened but the flesh is still soft and juicy.
• Remove from the grill and put in a sealed plastic bag to cool. When cool, remove the skin and seeds.
• Using a fork, mash the pepper flesh with the oil from one tin of mussels, the mayonnaise and the garlic.
• Stir in the mussels.
• Serve spread on the toast.
