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HOW TO category is about the process of preparing ingredients before the actual meal cooking starts.
Today I would like to share a tip - how to prepare and cook mussels.
Mussels (cozze) are extremely popular in Southern Italy and on the islands. Mainly as having extremely smooth texture and sweet flavour that makes an attractive addition to many pastas and fish dishes.
Preparing mussels
Place mussels in a large bowl of water for minimum 1 hour before cooking to clean them of any debris.
Wash and scrub mussels thoroughly under cold running water. Scrape off any calcium deposits with a knife. Remove the beards by giving them a sharp twist.
Give any open mussel a sharp tap. After this procedure they should close immediately. Discard any open shells as they are probably flown.
Cooking mussels
In Italy, common mussels are normally served as simply as possible. They are popular steamed in a little water with salt, bay leaf and parsley or cooked in a stock made from white wine, onions, garlic and parsley.
It takes only 5 minutes to open shells during simmer. After that we need to throw away any mussels which have not opened during cooking.
Culinary uses
Once mussels have been steamed open, they can be served with sauce or baked on the half shelf with herbs and breadcrumb topping. Steamed mussels in sauce are served well with a white toasted bread.
Fresh mussels in shell can be often mixed with other seafood and added to pasta. Steamed mussels wonderfully fit black fettuccine or tagliatelle.
Shelled cooked mussels have a perfect match if combined with seafood in a seafood salad.
Buying and storing
Choose mussels which feel heavy for their size and discard any broken shells. Unpacked mussels should use the day are bought.
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