Welcome to the summary page for FabulousFusionFood's Cook's Guide entry for Mussels along with all the Mussels containing recipes presented on this site, with 41 recipes in total.

This is a continuation of an entire series of pages that will, I hope, allow my visitors to better navigate this site. As well as displaying recipes by name, country and region of origin I am now planning a whole series of pages where recipes can be located by meal type and main ingredient. This page gives a listing of all the Mussels recipes added to this site.

These recipes, all contain Mussels as a major wild food ingredient.



Mussels represent the common English name used the members of several families of clams or bivalvia mollusca, from saltwater and freshwater habitats that are typically eaten as food. These groups are characterized by shells which are assymetrical; typically being much longer than they are broad. Humans have consumed mussels for thousands of years and of the 17 edible species, the most commonly consumed are Mytilus edulis, M galloprovincialis, M trossellus and Perna canaliculus. Of these, the blue mussel, Mytilus edulis is by far the most common due to its extensive range along the Atlantic coasts of Europe and North America. A genetically distinct lineage of M. edulis is present in the Southern Hemisphere, and has been attributed to subspecies Mytilus edulis platensis. This includes the Chilean mussel. Blue mussels are also subject to commercial use and intense aquaculture.

In appearance, the mussels have an external shell that composed of two hinged halves or "valves". The valves are joined together on the outside by a ligament, and are closed when necessary by strong internal muscles. Mussel shells carry out a variety of functions, including support for soft tissues, protection from predators and protection against desiccation. Like most bivalves, mussels have a large organ called a foot. In freshwater mussels, the foot is large, muscular, and generally hatchet-shaped. It is used to pull the animal through the substrate (typically sand, gravel, or silt) in which it lies partially buried. It does this by repeatedly advancing the foot through the substrate, expanding the end so it serves as an anchor, and then pulling the rest of the animal with its shell forward. It also serves as a fleshy anchor when the animal is stationary. In marine mussels, the foot is smaller, tongue-like in shape, with a groove on the ventral surface which is continuous with the byssus pit. In this pit, a viscous secretion is exuded, entering the groove and hardening gradually upon contact with sea water. This forms extremely tough, strong, elastic, byssus threads that secure the mussel to its substrate. In cooking, the byssus of the mussel is known as the 'beard' and is removed before the mussels are prepared.

Marine mussels are abundant in the low and mid intertidal zone in temperate seas globally. For intertidal aquaculture, pilings are planted at sea; ropes, on which the mussels grow, are tied in a spiral on the pilings; some mesh netting prevents the mussels from falling away. This method needs an extended tidal zone. In the longline method (which is typical of New Zealand aquaculture) the mussels are attached to ropes which are hung from a rope back-bone supported by large plastic floats

In terms of preparation, mussels are very versatile and can be smoked, boiled, steamed, roasted, barbecued or fried in butter. As with all shellfish, mussels should be checked to ensure they are still alive just before they are cooked. A simple criterion is that live mussels, when in the air, will shut tightly when disturbed and rapping the mussel on a worktop will allow this to be checked. If the mussel does not close it is dead and should be discarded. In terms of preparation, thorough rinsing with water and removal of the 'beard' is suggested. When cooked, mussel shells usually open. However, the belief that unopened cooked mussels are dangerous and should be discarded is a myth. In fact, unopened mussels were probably healthier than ones that are open and have stronger muscles that contracted rather than relaxing on cooking.

Etymologically, the English word mussel is derived from the middle English muskyl (later muscle, musscel for shellfish or mussel) is derived from the late Latin muscula which also gave rise to the Old French musle (modern French moule) and is ultimately derived from from the Latin musculus 'mussel' (literally meaning 'little mouse' but also 'muscle'). Indeed, the middle English muscle and musscel gave rise to the Elizabethan muscle and muskel which were both in use until the 1870s. Around the 1600s, the English muskel evolved into mussel and since the 1870s this has been the preferred term.