As you know, mussels are shellfish, the meat of which is very healthy, and most importantly, tasty. Meat contains approximately thirty trace elements. These seafood contain vitamins such as vitamin E, B, D. These vitamins are simply necessary for our body, as they have biologically active substances. In terms of content, mussels surpass absolutely all products of any other animal origin. Mussels also have a lot of protein, which has a positive effect on human muscle mass.
To cook mussels, the main thing is to know a few elementary rules. Freshly caught mussels must be cooked on the same day and eaten all at once. If you bought mussels in a frozen state in a supermarket, you can only defrost them once. Shellfish meat spoils very quickly, so you need to use the product as soon as possible, otherwise the meat will lose its value. If mussels are defrosted more than once, you can even get poisoned, because, as mentioned above, mussels deteriorate very quickly and turn into an inedible product.
If you have unpeeled shellfish, then they must be washed under running cold water, and then cleaned of algae and sand. If the shells are already cracked or the valves are open, they cannot be used. If you can’t open the shell, try tapping it a little. In most cases, the shell opens. Mussel must be alive. These mussels are the best for eating. There is no doubt about their quality and usefulness.
Some shells are very difficult to open, so there is a proven way. Pour water into a bowl and drop a shell into it. Heat the water to a boil, then drain and fill with cold water. This procedure will help not only open the sink, but also burn all the toxic substances. Not all rivers are clean, right? After such processing, the shell will undoubtedly open, and you can easily remove the meat from there using a knife.
Cooking mussel meat is not difficult at all. Just pour it into a pot of water (it is advisable to salt the water) and put on fire. When boiling, the foam should cover the entire surface of the mussels. By the way, it is strictly forbidden to re-cook mussels, as the meat can become harmful. Mussels make delicious salads and pâtés.
These dishes are not only tasty and nutritious, but also spicy. Mussels are considered a delicacy in many countries.
Here are a couple of recipes that will help you prepare delicious shellfish dishes:
Mussel salad
The following ingredients will be required for the preparation: 500 grams of mussels, a pair of bulbs, two or three tomatoes, 10 olives, a couple of parsley twigs, a little butter, lemon juice, ground black pepper and salt.
Stir the cooked meat with chopped tomatoes, parsley, onions and olives. Add a little lemon juice, after which you can season with spices. Mix well and add salt and pepper to taste.
Soup with mussels
For cooking, we will need the following ingredients: one tablespoon of olive oil, a large onion (cut the onion into rings), a couple of cloves of garlic (should be chopped into small pieces), 800 grams of ordinary tomatoes (you can even canned ones), one tablespoon of tomato– puree, 225 grams of fish broth, 50 grams of white wine, a pinch of red pepper, 400 grams of cooked mussel meat, a couple of sprigs of chopped parsley.
Heat a saucepan over medium heat and put oil in it, then put chopped onion rings and wait ten minutes. After ten minutes, add the garlic and again wait a couple of minutes. Next, add tomatoes and tomato juice, tomato puree, white wine, fish broth, salt, pepper, and 500 grams of water. Bring it all to a boil over high heat. Stir periodically. Tomatoes need to be mashed with a spoon so that they are not too stale. You can boil for 3-5 minutes. Next, you need to add the mussels themselves, which you first cut into thin slices. Cook the mussels for another five minutes.
Mussels are ready! If desired, the soup can be garnished with parsley.