Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall
LATIN NAME
Mytilus edulis
ALSO KNOWN AS
Common mussel, blue mussel
SEASONALITY
Avoid wild mussels April–September when spawning, and when water quality may be lower
HABITAT
Common all around the British Isles coast (with some gaps due to lack of habitat)
MCS RATING
1–3 (some sources not assessed)
REC MINIMUM SIZE
5cm
MORE RECIPES
SOURCING
Mussels are farmed on many parts of our coast – though to say ‘farming’ is pushing it a bit, since mussel cultivation involves corralling, managing and harvesting a population of essentially wild shellfish. Some are grown on the seabed (these are hand-raked, dredged or harvested via an ‘elevator’ that dislodges the mussels with water jets). Others are ‘rope-grown’. Both are potentially sustainable (Exmouth ground-laid mussels are MSC accredited) but rope-growing is about as ecologically friendly as aquaculture gets and produces beautifully clean, thin-shelled, grit-free mussels. The bulk of British rope-grown mussels come from Scotland, but there’s a burgeoning industry in the Southwest too.
The joy of the rope-growing system is the lack of interference. There are no inputs – no chemicals are required to keep the mussels healthy. There is no captive breeding. Plastic-toggled ropes are simply fixed between heavy-duty buoys on the surface and anchors on the seabed, in sheltered tidal waters that are known to be home to a healthy population of mussels. ‘Spat’, or tiny baby mussels, appear, as if by magic, on the ropes.
The infant mussels are as tiny as a baby’s fingernail. The real ecological gain is that you don’t even have to feed them in order to get them to saleable size: 4–6cm long and filled with sweet, sea-tasting cream-to-orange coloured meat. They take the planktonic nutrients they need from the water that ebbs and flows around them. What’s more, a mussel farm can provide positive ecological benefits to the waters in which it is sited. The mussel-clad ropes make a weedy underwater jungle that attracts other sea-life. It forms a natural habitat and nursery for all kinds of creatures, including anemones, starfish, marine worms, prawns and juvenile fish.
It’s not perfect of course. There is a carbon footprint to the lines of giant plastic, bobbing floats – and this visible manifestation of a mussel farm may spoil the view of an otherwise flawless stretch of water. The harvesting is done by a noisy, chugging, floating diesel-powered ‘mill’ that drags the ropes through its clattering, mangle-type rollers and strips off the mussels. But compared to the environmental cost of other forms of fishing and aquaculture, this is a modest compromise. It is right to regard rope-grown mussels as one of the most sustainable shellfish we can choose.
Most farmed mussels – and almost all those sold in fishmongers and supermarkets – are now sold clean enough to cook with little further preparation. Still, I would always give them a shake and a rinse in a colander under cold running water. And you may need to remove their ‘beards’ – the tough, wiry little fibres with which they fastened themselves to their moorings. These can be gripped between your thumb and the blade of a small knife and pulled away.
You only want to cook mussels with undamaged shells that are firmly shut. This means they’re alive. If they’re dead, there’s no way of knowing how long they’ve been dead – so they’re best avoided. Conversely, once cooked, you should only eat those that are open.
To fully appreciate their wonderful flavour, mussels are best treated simply. Throw a knob of butter and some chopped garlic into a large, wide pan over a medium heat and follow a minute or so later with a glass of white wine or cider. Once simmering, add your moules and cover the pan. After 3 minutes, lift the lid, give the mussels a good stir, and pop the lid back on for a further minute. They should almost all be open, but if quite a few aren’t, give them another stir and another minute. Served with all their lovely, sea-scented, savoury pan juices, and just a hunk of bread or a bowl of thin frites, this is seafood nirvana.
I also love mussels cooked in a simple tomato sauce – the kind made by bubbling a tin or two of tomatoes with a little garlic and olive oil – or done with a tropical twist, in half a 400ml tin of coconut milk, with some finely chopped chilli and ginger and a scattering of coriander, or with garlic, lemongrass and kaffir lime leaves.
Wild mussels
It’s possible to gather wild mussels in lots of locations around the British Isles, but you do need to be careful. Firstly, be aware that in commercial mussel-growing areas, the bivalves you gather may actually belong to someone else. Secondly, mussels feed by filtering huge quantities of water, extracting microscopic sea-life as they do so. That means that anything untoward in the water will also be absorbed by the bivalve.
Most farmed British mussels are treated before sale by being stored in tanks of water treated with UV light, a process known as depuration. This doesn’t happen, of course, with wild mussels, so the risk of picking up something nasty from them is greater. It pays to research the area before gathering wild shellfish. In areas where shellfish are commercially cultivated or gathered, there should be official information on water quality. In waters classed as ‘category A’, bacterial contamination has been measured at a very low level, but such waters are rare. The wilder, more tide-swept and cleaner-looking the location, the better. Steer clear of still water and anywhere there could be pollution from sewage or agricultural run-off. And avoid gathering mussels in the warmer months, when the chance of bacterial contamination is higher.
Pick big, mature mussels – 5cm long or more – and purge them in cold, clean salt water (35g salt per litre) for at least 8 hours, which cleans out their systems, though it won’t get rid of any nasty bugs. Thorough cooking should kill any bacteria and viruses, but it won’t get rid of toxins or environmental contaminants.
Wild mussels often have barnacles and beards attached. A barbecue is a great way to cook them – and means you can avoid scraping away these tenacious appendages. Just put the mussels on a grill or rack over hot charcoal or fire embers till they pop open. Pick out the meat (mind the hot shells) and eat them straight up, or dipped in a simple dressing – good olive oil, lemon juice and a pinch of dried chilli flakes is ideal.
MUSSELS IN VINEGAR WITH APPLE AND CARROT
Light, sharp and mildly sweet, this is an unusual and refreshing way to enjoy fresh mussels. Serves 4 as a starter
1kg mussels
1 large carrot, peeled and cut into 2mm dice
1 large eating apple, peeled, cored and cut into 2mm dice
1 small red onion, finely diced
2 tbsp cider vinegar
2 heaped tsp caster sugar
2 bay leaves
2 sprigs of thyme
100ml apple juice
Sea salt and black pepper
Clean the mussels thoroughly (see Mussels). Combine the carrot, apple, onion, vinegar and sugar in a bowl.
Heat a heavy-based pan over a high heat. When hot, add the mussels, herbs and apple juice. Give the pan a shake and place the lid on. Cook for about 4 minutes or until the shells are open. Discard any that remain closed.
Tip the contents of the pan into a large colander set over a bowl, to catch the cooking liquor. Return this liquor to the pan and boil it until reduced by two-thirds. Leave it to cool, then combine with the pickled carrot and apple.
Pick the cooled mussels from their shells and scatter in a shallow dish. Pour over the carrot and apple and all the lovely pickling juices and place in the fridge to chill. Remove from the fridge an hour before serving and eat with brown bread and butter.
