Fish & Seafood | Mussels

Wild mussels are familiar as the blue-black shelled molluscs clinging to rocks and jetties whose sweet and salty orange-coloured flesh has provided a tasty treat for centuries. Indeed, large mounds of mussel shells have been unearthed close to Scottish prehistoric settlements.

The most common mussel found in Scotland is the Blue mussel (Mytilus Edulus), although there is also the Horse mussel (Modiolus modiolus), more commonly referred to as Clabbie Dubhs from the Gaelic Clab-Dubh meaning large, black mouth.

After disastrous experiments in the 1890s, commercial ventures weren’t set up successfully in Scotland until the 1970s, but now mussel farms are a common sight all along the west coast of Scotland in sheltered inlets and sea lochs. The molluscs are cultivated on ropes, where they feed naturally on plankton, and after two to three years are harvested, graded and shipped live to restaurants.

Mussels should only be collected from unpolluted waters between September and March and left alone during the height of the summer. They are at their plumpest before they spawn around the end of February.

To prepare, wash thoroughly in fresh water, scrubbing the shells and removing any stringy beards. Throw away any mussels that float to the top, those that are damaged and ones that do not close after cleaning – they could be toxic. Cook by steaming in a pan with a lid for a couple of minutes until they gape open, discarding any that remain shut. They’re delicious with garlic, white wine, lemon, tomato sauce, coconut milk, chilli and lemongrass sauces or added to salads and soups.

Amazingly, the byssal threads or ‘beards’ of mussels are so strong that they can even attach themselves to non-stick surfaces. Scientists are presently developing a mussel-based adhesive that could be used in future eye surgery.