What's the right season for mussels?
Can you eat mussels all year round? Eating mussels, with or without French fries, is one of the pleasures of the table. Whether you're by the sea or inland, the mussel has made a name for itself, and there's no shortage of people who want to enjoy this convivial dish. But can you eat mussels in months without an "R"?
Eating mussels in months without an "R
Mussels are farmed in many different places. The most important rule is to avoid eating mussels during the mating season. Mussel stalling is linked to this stage. Mussels bred in France (the bouchot mussel is the most widespread, mainly on the Atlantic coast and in the English Channel), are eaten from July to January. As the mussels come from different production areas, other countries take over so that they can be sold all year round.
Which tastes for which mussels?
The small Bouchot mussel is a great success. With its silky flesh, it is firmer than the Bouzigues mussel or, more generally, the Mediterranean mussel, with its larger shell and fuller kernel. Bouchot mussels contain no sand or foreign matter. Bouzigues oysters are more iodized. It's perfect stuffed à la sétoise (garlic and parsley, sausage meat and tomato coulis).
How are mussels farmed?
In the Netherlands, mussels are bred in mussel beds, sown to the bottom of the sea to form veritable shoals as they grow. They can also be suspended from thick ropes in the sea, known as rope mussels. In France, they are mainly attached to stakes driven into the sea, which they use as attachment points.
Cleaning mussels
Leave them to drain off salt and sand in a basin of cold water. Retain only those mussels that open, as a mussel that remains closed may not be as fresh. Remove the byssal threads (the least glamorous part).
