REVscene - Vancouver Automotive Forum

reFR3SH · 09-23-2010, 09:37 PM

for mussels you can tell if they are fresh by how its packaged. if its a sealed bag then its wrong, cause mussels need to breath. you can tell by the smell too, if it smells fishy its mostlikely not

Senna4ever · 09-23-2010, 11:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jackmeister

i thought dead shellfish dont open when they are dead?

They'll be either open and not close when touched, or not open when cooked.

Gumby · 09-24-2010, 10:40 AM

You can't control what happens to your mussels once you start cooking, but you can control which mussels you buy. So if possible, make sure you don't buy any that are open when alive. After cooking, for the ones that are closed, I still open them up to take a look. If they look normal, I still eat them (or spit them out if it tastes funky).

I ended up buying mussels from Superstore (on Marine & Main) last Friday cuz that was the most convenient. They had 2 2-lb bags left, but those were going bad. Fortunately, they had a lot of loose mussels to choose from, so it must have been a recent shipment. I was there again earlier this week, and most of their loose mussels had been purchased.

For those curious, I had the day off and was going to cook mussels in white wine for my wife for our anniversary dinner as a surprise while she was at work. She was unwell that morning so she called in sick, ruining my plans in a way. After sleeping the morning away, she got better so in the end, I bought & prepped the ingredients and she did the cooking.

Rogue951 · 09-28-2010, 09:22 PM

Costco has vacuum packed trays of mussles recently. but theyre huge like 6-10 pound trays. I wouldn't be able to eat that much so I never bought it. They're supposed to be live. theres water in the tray too.

Chicken Balls · 10-11-2010, 12:22 PM

I bought mussels from lobsterman a few weeks back. 1/4 of them did not open up.

Senna4ever · 10-11-2010, 01:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chicken Balls

I bought mussels from lobsterman a few weeks back. 1/4 of them did not open up.

Hmmmm..... Did you cook them that day? Were they stored for any length of time in a warm environment like your car as you did other errands? There are many variables that could have killed them. There will always be about 1 or 2 that are dead in a pound of clams or mussels, but 1/4 seems a bit too much.

Chicken Balls · 10-11-2010, 04:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Senna4ever

Hmmmm..... Did you cook them that day? Were they stored for any length of time in a warm environment like your car as you did other errands? There are many variables that could have killed them. There will always be about 1 or 2 that are dead in a pound of clams or mussels, but 1/4 seems a bit too much.

Yea, i bought them and went home to cook it. I find that odd too that so many did not open. I also bought clams that day, and all of them opened..So it was very strange since I've never had so many not open on me before. They had given me ice to place on top of them prior to bringing them home, however the time inbetween buying, and cooking them was about an hour.

azncreationz · 10-13-2010, 05:59 PM

How did they turn out? Re-reading this tread gave me some inspiration, and motivation to try to make some this weekend. Can't wait...

lol · 10-26-2010, 06:48 PM

what are some good ingredients to cook the mussels with?

someone mentioned white wine.

I made some last week for this chick im seeing. my primary ingredient was butter and then i added a few diff spices.

they turned out really good but i would like to try a creamier based sauce? any suggestions for next time?

Senna4ever · 10-27-2010, 12:38 AM

^^^ No, no no, you're doing it wrong. You're supposed to feed her oysters!

Butter, garlic, white wine and freshly chopped parsley is the classic for mussels. I'm not sure if a cream based sauce will work with mussels.

lol · 10-27-2010, 10:30 AM

hmm found this one.

Recipe
Mussels with Thyme and White Wine Cream Sauce
(aka Moules à la crème)

serves 2

1 lb. mussels (de-beard if necessary and keep refrigerated until use)
5 shallots, sliced (or 1/2 large onion, sliced thin)
2 large cloves garlic, minced
1 handful of fresh thyme on stem
1 1/2 cups white wine
1/4 cup cream
4 Tbsps. butter
1 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
kosher salt and pepper

1) De-beard the mussels if necessary and keep them cold until ready to use. If any of them are open they might well be dead. If they are only slightly open, rap them on the side of a bowl or the counter. If they close up again, they're edible, if not, they are DEAD. If they are dead prior to cooking, do NOT eat. Dispose of immediately or possibly pay the horrible horrible consequences.

2) In a large, heavy-bottomed pot with a lid, heat the olive oil and melt the butter. Sautee the shallots and/or onions until translucent, then add the garlic, sautee for a couple minutes more, then add the wine and the thyme, stirring everything around.

3) Once the wine is bubbling, add the mussels. Put the lid on, and shake the pot a bit to coat them. Let stand for 5-7 minutes. By this time the mussels should have opened up. Those that haven't, you should discard. Add the cream, a bit of salt and pepper, and stir everything. Leave out the cream and you've got "moules mariniere."

4) Add some cooked, fresh linguini to a bowl (this is optional) spoon several mussels over the top, then ladle a generous amount of the delciously fragrant sauce over it all. Mop sauce up with crusty bread or frites!

http://kitchenmonkey.blogspot.com/20...hite-wine.html

Jermyzy · 10-30-2010, 05:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rogue951

Costco has vacuum packed trays of mussles recently. but theyre huge like 6-10 pound trays. I wouldn't be able to eat that much so I never bought it. They're supposed to be live. theres water in the tray too.

I just bought a tray from Costco (says eat before Nov 4), but can't cook them til Monday. Will let you guys know after then.

lol · 11-04-2010, 12:11 PM

How did you cook them? and how did they turn out?

sonick · 11-04-2010, 12:54 PM

Eric Ripert of Le Bernardin recently posted this recipe on his twitter

Boil1cupChardonay+1/2onion+3 cloves of garlic + 1/2 cup dry spicy chorizo all sliced thin+1pound clams or mussels.Cover until opened.

le_dakine · 11-05-2010, 11:20 AM

Costco now carries fresh PEI mussels. i think they are flown in like 2 or 3 times a week. super good for the price.
T&T's mussels tend to shrink alot when cooked, but the Costco ones come out big a juicy.

lol · 11-05-2010, 02:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sonick

Eric Ripert of Le Bernardin recently posted this recipe on his twitter

Boil1cupChardonay+1/2onion+3 cloves of garlic + 1/2 cup dry spicy chorizo all sliced thin+1pound clams or mussels.Cover until opened.

I was flipping thru the channels the other day and this lady was cooking mussels on some cooking show. She waited till the end (when the mussels starting to open up) to add the white wine. I guess you can do it either way? I wonder how big of a difference it makes.

The recipe I posted along with yours both boil the wine prior to adding the mussels.