Mussels can be cooked in a variety of ways, including smoked, steamed, and stewed.
The mussel is a type of bivalve mollusc that can be found in freshwater lakes, streams, and streams, along with the salty intertidal zone where the oceans meet the shoreline. Like many other crustaceans, they are farmed and caught in the wild to serve as food for humans, and they also have a number of predators in the wild. This clam is also much more popular in Europe and parts of Asia than in North America, where only a small part of the population is interested in mussels as a food source.
A cooked and shelled mussel.
Mussels share many characteristics with clams, another bivalve widely consumed by humans. However, they do have a shell that is more oblong than oval, with the dorsal region located towards the bottom of the shells rather than the middle, as is common in clams. Mussels typically have a dark blue, green, or brown shell and come in a variety of sizes. In freshwater, they typically burrow to the bottom of a body of water, allowing collectors to dig them up relatively easily. An intertidal mussel anchors itself to a rock with a thick set of very strong fibers that can be difficult to dislodge.
These molluscs reproduce sexually, with the young loose in the water. The larvae float until they reach a suitable living space, which distributes them more widely and gives them a better chance of survival. A mussel’s main diet is plankton, microscopic single-celled organisms that float freely in fresh and salt water. Along with other crustaceans, mussels are filter feeders, absorbing water and nutrients to eat.
Due to the way they feed, mussels can also accumulate toxins, such as those contained in red tide. For this reason, they are dangerous to collect at certain times of the year, and any prospective collector should always check ocean conditions before collecting and eating them. Assuming they are safe to eat, mussels are most tender and flavorful when small and should also be cooked while still alive. A living person usually closes the shell well, so if it is open, the cook should tap it lightly to see if it closes, indicating that it is alive and good to eat.
The flesh is slightly sweet and can be very tender if cooked well. Popular preparations include steaming, smoking, and cooking in soups and sauces. The cuisine of many European coastal regions incorporates these shellfish, which are also preserved for export elsewhere.