Mussels question

[flooredargument]

I've bought mussels for the first time, a big bag of fresh Cornish mussels from a proper fishmonger.

No instructions on the packaging.

According to various recipes you must discard any that are open, even the smallest amount, or damaged, otherwise you'll get food poisoning.

So I have thrown away about a quarter.

Is this normal?

No - you only need to discard ones that don't close when given a sharp tap.

Instructions below from BBC good food:

How to prepare mussels

Scrub mussels in cold water to remove barnacles or sand. Discard any that float to the top. Give any open mussels a sharp tap with a knife, and discard any that fail to close (they are dead). Remove the 'beard' – a fibrous clump of hairs that sprouts from the shell – by giving it a sharp tug towards the hinge end of the mussel. Place cleaned mussels in a fresh bowl of cold water until ready to use. Change this water two or three times to remove any salt or sand that the mussels may expel.

Did you try tapping them, and dropping them back into cold water for a bit? Depends on the batch of mussels and how long they’ve been sat at the fishmonger. I’ve had to throw out 1/4 before, but that was when I got them on reduction at the supermarket

Quite often there will be mussels that are semi open but still alive and fine to cook and eat. I discard any that are very wide open but for the rest lightly tap them against a hard surface and put to one side as I clean them. If they’re still alive they will start closing up. Any that are still open by the time I’m finished prepping them get thrown but I find the majority close up and are ok to use. Any that stay closed during cooking are also no good. Unless you’re buying from a poor source, you really shouldn’t need to throw away many.

I also discard any wide open. The rest of they don’t close then bin. A dodgey mussel can make you really very ill

Then when cooked discard any that are closed.

See this is why I buy the boil in the bag ones 😂😂

Christ alive - just reading the preparation instructions above are enough to put me off. "Remove the beard" (!).

I did the tapping yes and it made no difference.

Interesting the 'wide open'.... I threw away any that were open even a tiny amount.

No beards on mine so that's something!

I should add that they were absolutely delicious! Made with garlic and white wine.

@HugeAckmansWife where do you get boil in the bag? Sounds great 👍

Supermarket chilled fish section, different flavours too!

I always put mine in a metal colander and give the whole lot a vigorous shake, leave them 5 minutes while I prep the sauce and the throw away any that haven’t closed when I go back to them, there’s only ever a few.

I love mussels, they’re one of my favourite meals.

And would they definitely all be ok or do you still have to check and tap etc?

Oh god I remember spending hours as a child scrubbing mussels (another country 😀)
Now I buy them vacuum sealed in Sainsburys (other supermarkets available) -much better to ket the machines do the work...

Don’t forget that you should throw away any that do not open when cooked.

Was your dinner nice? Even if the portions were small?

@FelicityBeedle yes, two delicious meals thank you. Last night, white wine, garlic and parsley. Tonight, chilli and coriander.

I was a bit worried just now because I had a bit if a rumbling stomach but then I reminded myself I'd drunk almost a whole bottle of wine

This thread is a enough to turn anybody into a vegetarian. Poor things.

Yes just in the fish section of tesco and don't eat the closed ones after cooking. £2.50 for two portions.