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Mussels, Boiled
Brush the shells thoroughly, and wash the mussels in several waters, in order that they may be entirely free from grit. Put them into a deep saucepan (without water) and sprinkle a little salt over them. Spread a napkin upon them in the saucepan, put the lid on, and scald them over a sharp fire. Shake them about briskly, in order to keep them from burning. As soon as the shells open, take the saucepan off the fire, strain the liquor into a bowl, and take out the fish. Very carefully remove the little piece of weed which is found under the black tongue. If the mussels are left too long on the fire they will become leathery.
A sound method that needs almost no updating, though two details in it are worth knowing about before you start.
- The hinge: get them off the heat the moment they gapeThe final sentence is the whole recipe. Mussels are done in three to five minutes over high heat; another two and they tighten into rubber. Pull them as the shells open and finish any that lag behind separately.
- Sorting before cookingThe original assumes mussels straight from the shore. Discard any that are cracked, or that stay open when tapped, and after cooking discard any that stay shut. Modern rope-grown mussels are far cleaner than wild ones and rarely need more than a rinse and a scrub.
- "The little piece of weed"This is the byssus, or beard, the tuft of fibres the mussel uses to anchor itself. It is inedible rather than dangerous. Removing it before cooking, with a firm tug toward the hinge, is easier than picking it out of hot shellfish afterward.
- The napkinA folded cloth laid over the mussels traps steam and keeps the top layer cooking as fast as the bottom. A tight lid does the same job; if you use a cloth, keep it clear of the burner and the rim.
- "A sharp fire"Means the highest heat available. The mussels release their own liquor as they begin to open, so the pan is soon steaming rather than dry-frying -- hence no added water.
- Saving the liquorStrain it through muslin, not just a sieve; the last of the grit settles and the clear liquor above it is the base of any sauce or soup you make from them. It is already salty, so add the salt in the recipe sparingly, or not at all.
- QuantityReckon about 1 lb (450 g) in the shell per person as a first course, closer to 2 lb for a main dish. A large wide pan matters more than a deep one; crowding slows the steam and the first mussels overcook while the rest open.
Dry-steaming shellfish in their own liquor is the technique on which every mussel dish rests, from moules mariniere to the stews of the English and French coasts. Mussels were cheap Victorian food, gathered from tidal rocks and estuary beds and sold by measure, and they carried a reputation for danger that had less to do with the shellfish than with the polluted water many were taken from. The beard was sometimes said to be the harmful part, though the recipe itself gives no reason for removing it; in fact it is merely tough. The real safeguard, then as now, is knowing where the mussels came from and that they were alive when they went into the pan.