Cheaper than clams, but equally as tasty and packing just as much protein and briny, oceanic flavors, mussels are high on the list of faves for seafood lovers. Steam and stir the mussels in sweet coconut milk and curry for a seafood flavored-bomb, or marinade overnight in a vinegary marinade for an elegant mussels escabeche — there’s a million-and-one way to prep these mollusks. But here’s one thing every chef familiar with mussels will tell you: fresh only, never frozen.
“Fresh is best” is a mantra that holds especially true for mussels. While those bags of frozen, pre-shucked mussels at the grocery store may seem like a convenient shortcut, the freezing and thawing process will have done a real number on the mussels’ delicate texture. When you cook them up, instead of having a buttery-soft mouthfeel, you’d feel like you’re chewing a piece of rubber.
According to research published in the AIMS Press Agriculture and Food Journal, when mussels are slow-frozen (kept at around -0.4 degrees Fahrenheit for up to 72 hours), the water inside the mollusks expand and form sharp ice crystals that puncture the mussel meat’s cell walls. As the mussels thaw, that water leaks out, bringing with it a lot of the natural juices and flavors. The damaged proteins that are left behind also tighten up and turn rubbery. So all that you’re left with are sad, shriveled, bouncy shellfish bobbing in a watery sauce — not exactly what most people will consider a good meal.
Here’s the sort of mussels to buy instead
Rather than going to a grocery store, if possible, we recommend stopping by your local fish market or seafood counter where you’d be able to browse for live mussels. Ideally, ask the fishmongers if they have farmed, rope-grown mussels in stock. These mussels are grown on ropes suspended in the water rather than picked from the seabed. As such, they won’t have as much sand and grit within the shells. You’ll still need to purge and clean the mussels before cooking, but compared to seabed-grown mussels, you don’t have to spend nearly as much effort.
Quality mussels should be easy to spot. A good one will have some weight to it, and the shell should be free of cracks and be tightly closed. Contrary to popular belief, a mussel with an opened shell doesn’t necessarily mean it’s dead. You can test it by pinching it shut. If it remains shut, then it’s alive — if not… well, you best pick another one. Fresh mussels should also smell faintly like salt water and the ocean. If they smell like literal garbage or fishy, trust your nose and pick either a new batch or find a new stall to buy from.
That’s all it really takes to buy some good mussels. It’s not nearly as complicated as some would think, so the next time the mood for a moules frites strikes, don’t be tempted by the freezer aisle!
