How to Cook Mussels (5 different ways!)

Buy

Most fishmongers and supermarket fish counters will have them, often sold in net bags that weigh approximately a kilo. You will need around 500g per person for a main course, or 250g for a starter (assuming you’re serving something alongside, like bread to mop up the delicious cooking liquid). You can often ask supermarkets to cut open a bag if you don’t need a whole kilo. Buy your mussels no more than a day before you intend to cook them; any longer and you risk them dying.

Store

Keep them in a bowl or plastic bag in the fridge with some scrunched up newspaper or kitchen towel soaked in water over the top of them. Don’t keep them tied up in a plastic bag; they are living things and need to breathe, so open it up.

Prepare

To prepare them for cooking, you need to clean and ‘de-beard’ them. Do this right before you plan to cook them (about 15 minutes before is fine), not in advance as it will kill them. Rinse the mussels well under running water, then pull off the grey tangled ‘beard’ you will find sticking out of the shell on one side. Give it a sharp tug and it will come off. Discard any mussels that are cracked or broken, or that are open and don’t close when tapped sharply against a worktop. Put the mussels in a colander or bowl until ready to cook.

Flavour base

This is usually a series of aromatics that you fry in a little oil before adding liquid, to give flavour to the mussels. Do this in a large, lidded saucepan big enough to accommodate all the mussels. Here are some suggestions:

1. For French-style moules mariniere, use crushed garlic, a finely chopped shallot, a couple of bay leaves, and a few sprigs of thyme. I also sometimes add peeled finely diced fresh tomatoes to this.
2. For Thai-style, use garlic, lemongrass, chilli, shredded kaffir lime leaves (you can buy these frozen in Asian grocers) and ginger
3. For a meaty classic, use a finely chopped shallot, some fat bacon lardons, and some crushed garlic
4. For another meaty version, this time Spanish-themed, use chunks of cooking chorizo instead of the bacon, and add halved cherry tomatoes or diced whole tomatoes

Liquid

You then need to add liquid, after sautéing your flavour base in oil for a couple of minutes. This will depend on your aromatics.

1. For French-style, use white wine and maybe a little cream if you’re feeling decadent
2. For Thai-style, use coconut milk
3. For the bacon version, use cider or beer
4. For the chorizo version, use cider or white wine

Simmer

Simmer the liquid for a minute or so, then taste the sauce and season. Don’t add too much salt, though, because the beauty of mussels is they release a delicious salty cooking liquor when they open that will add to the sauce in the pan and season it beautifully.

Add the mussels

Turn the heat up high then tip them in and put on a lid. Cook for approximately 4 minutes, shaking the pan regularly, until all the mussels have opened. As soon as they have, turn off the heat – if you overcook them they’ll be rubbery and horrible. Discard any that haven’t opened fully (TRUST ME, this may lead to food poisoning if you don’t, I speak from bitter and recent experience), then ladle your mussels into bowls along with their accompanying liquid to serve.

Garnish

You can then garnish them with some finely chopped herbs.

1. For French-style, use flat leaf parsley
2. For Thai-style, use coriander, tarragon or Thai basil
3. For the bacon version, use parsley or thyme
4. For the chorizo version, use coriander, parsley or basil

Lemon or lime

Serve with lemon or lime (for the Thai version) wedges to squeeze over.

Bread

You can also serve with bread. I would always go for a chunk of crusty bread, except for the Thai version which I like to serve over a bed of rice or rice noodles.