by Ivan Anthony

Created on: January 09, 2008   Last Updated: February 02, 2012

Mussels are a seasonal treat that many people are afraid to even attempt to cook. There seems to be this common misconception that if you really don't know what you're doing, you run the risk of food poisoning. While there is a risk, it's no more than that of beef, chicken or pork. And, frankly, mussels are far easier to do.

Buy fresh. I've heard others say that frozen mussels are actually better to deal with than fresh. I presume this is because they think there is a lower risk of poisoning. Actually, frozen may pose a greater risk, as you have no way to know what state they were in before they were frozen. And when have you ever been satisfied that frozen anything is better than fresh? I ran a seafood kitchen for 3 years and if we couldn't get fresh mussels, we didn't get mussels.

When buying fresh, they are live. If they're not live, don't ever eat them! This is where the real risk of poisoning is. If they smell really, really fishy, they're probably not very fresh. Really fresh ones smell a little fishy, but also quite salty. And to test if they are alive, simply pick one up and tap it on any hard surface a few times. If it slowly closes, it's very much alive and fit to eat. Any you find with big cracks or breaks in the shell, you should probably throw out. Better safe than sorry.

Wash them thoroughly. Running under tap water, wash them against each other for a minute or two. Do the 'tap-tap test' to see they all close before they go into the pan. If they don't close, don't put them in the pan. Once you've got your pan full of mussels, add about a half cup or so of cheap white wine. Cover with a lid and turn heat to medium-high. Check them every couple minutes. They should take 5-10 minutes to cook completely, depending on the size of them. You'll know they're done when they are pretty much all opened. Any that don't open, should not be eaten. All that do are perfect.

About a minute before you're ready to plate, add in a cup or so of plain spaghetti sauce, one or two tablespoons of chilli sauce, and about 3 cloves of coarsely chopped garlic. Toss it all around and that's it. Ready to plate, quick and easy fresh mussels. Once you try fresh, you'll understand why frozen just won't do.

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