How to Clean Mussels
Mussels are one of my favorite shellfish to cook. That’s because they’re the easiest, the most affordable, and can be made in so many different ways, with so many different flavor profiles since they’re popular all around the world. Even the most inexperienced home chef can make them in no time.
The only caveat is that some mussels require just a little bit of cleaning. So I’m here to teach you how to clean your mussels so you and your guests aren’t chewing on a bunch of sand.
Step 1: Buying Mussels
You can buy mussels at pretty much any grocery store that has a fish department, or even your local fishmonger. Some grocery stores will have individual mussels that you can buy by the pound. Whereas other grocery stores will have the mussels in a net at a pre-measured portion of about 2lbs.
When the fishmonger picks the mussels, make sure they’re fresh (not previously frozen), smell briny like the sea, and don’t appear cracked or damaged. You also want to make sure they were chilling on ice (pun intended), because they should be as cold as possible.
Step 2: Taking them home
Usually your fishmonger will put the mussels in a plastic bag after you purchase them. Make sure the bag isn’t tied shut, or the mussels can potentially die depending on how long until you get home. As soon as you get home, you should remove the mussels from the net and plastic bag they came in, and transfer them to a large bowl covering them with a damp paper towel.
Step 3: check for dead shellfish
Nobody wants date night to end in the bathroom, or better yet, food poisoning. So that’s why why it’s important to check for potential dead mussels.
To check for potentially dead mussels, rinse the mussels under cold water and gently stir them around. This will allow any mussels that were previously opened to close back up.
But now, you want to check to see if there are any mussels that didn’t close. If you see any mussels that are still open, either place them in the palm of your hand and tap the top of the mussel (or tap it against your counter), and wait a few minutes. If the mussel closes, it’s alive. If the mussel refuses to close, unfortunately it’s probably dead so you’ll want to toss it. If you come across any mussels with cracked shells, toss those as well.
Step 4: Cleaning the Mussels
Fill the bowl of mussels up with cold water and add a few turns of freshly ground black pepper, and let the mussels soak for at least 20 minutes. This helps remove any excess sand. After the mussels soaked, take a small brush (or you could use your hands) and scrub the outside of the mussels trying to remove any additional excess sand or barnacles that might be lingering around.
If you bought farm raised mussels, they most likely will have their beards already removed. However, if you purchased wild mussels, they might still have their beards attached. To remove the beard, just pinch it and wiggle it side-by-side, pulling it slightly, until it slides right out. If a few strains remain, don’t worry about it. (If you don’t know what a mussel’s beard is, well, it’s a stringy brown/black material that hangs off the side of the mussel where the two shells meet…and, looks like a beard).
Step 5: Cook the Mussels
Once the mussels are cleaned, it’s time to cook them. Mussels are so simple and so quick to cook, they only take about 5 to 10 minutes. Head over to my Mussels Fra Diavolo recipe to find out how it’s all done!
