Get mussel power

The fleshy morsels enclosed between two hinged black-blue shells were once considered poor man’s food, harvested freely along the coastlines of France, Belgium, the Netherlands and Spain as early as Roman times. Today, steamed in beer and served with frites (the Belgian classic moules frites), cooked in a rich tomato stew or in garlic and wine, mussels are enjoying the culinary limelight. And they’re still wonderfully plentiful – and affordable.

 

In South Africa we have access to wild mussels, those that grow on the jagged rocks along our south and west coasts, as well as cultivated mussels. Farmed mussels are grown on ropes vertically suspended in water columns from floating rafts in sheltered bays along our coastline, particularly in Saldanha Bay where the Benguela current brings high concentrations of plankton. For these bivalve molluscs, it’s the equivalent of a McDonald’s drive-through!

Because mussels are ‘filter feeders’ that feed off nutrients in the water column, they are a highly sustainable source of food – and actually enhance water quality by reducing the amount of organic matter in it. Waste that is discharged from the mussels accumulates on the sea floor, but farming sites are generally rotated to allow the waste to be distributed.

In these farms, mussels take around four to six months to reach 60mm, at which point they are picked, scrubbed clean and made available for purchase. A large percentage are steamed and then frozen, much of which is exported.

When you buy fresh farm-raised mussels, which is generally what you’ll find on the shelves of your local fishmonger as well as in large retail stores, you’ll find them to be much cleaner than wild mussels. So there is no need to scrub them to remove the grit, barnacles and sand. They are also tested for red tide, so you are assured that the mussels you are eating are safe for consumption.

Wild blue mussels, on the other hand, grow in abundance on our coastline. The species was probably introduced to South Africa after being transported on the many ore carriers and oil tankers entering our harbours to load or unload their cargo. SASSI (the Southern African Sustainable Seafood Initiative) describes the blue-mussel stock that dominates nearly 2 000km of our coastline as “underfished”. Although hand-collection of these mussels is unlikely to have any signifi cant impact on the species, SASSI does warn that as a person reaches to pick a mussel or drags his or her bag along the ocean floor, damage is done to the surrounding habitat. For this reason you must have a licence to pick mussels in South Africa and may collect no more than 50 mussels per day.

But before heading off to collect your allotment, remember to keep a look-out in your local newspapers for red-tide warnings. Mussels that have been contaminated by red tide can cause paralytic shellfish poisoning that affects the central nervous system.

Is there a difference in taste between farmed and wild mussels? Farmed mussels tend to have a lighter shell and plumper, more tender meat which some consider to be sweeter, with a higher meat-to-shell ratio than the wild variety. But whether you buy wild or farmed mussels, the freshest mussels provide the highest quality of taste.

So we know that mussels are delicious, plentiful and affordable – and even the most ethically minded eaters can happily guzzle as many as they please – but there’s more good news. They’re healthy too. Mussels are a great source of protein, vitamin.B12, zinc, iron and selenium (good for your metabolism and immune system).

HOW TO CLEAN AND PREPARE FRESH MUSSELS

1 Just before you are ready to cook your mussels, submerge them in a bowl of cold water and wash them thoroughly. If you are cooking wild mussels you will need to scrub them with a brush to remove barnacles and sand. Do not leave them standing in fresh water (this will kill them) and discard any shells that are open.

2 Remove the beard of each mussel by simply tugging on it or cut it away with a sharp knife.

3 Place the mussels in a pot and steam in a small amount of liquid (water, beer, stock or wine).

4 Once steamed (for roughly five minutes) discard any mussels that have not opened.

5 Allow around 600g of mussels per person, since the flesh accounts for just 30% of the mussels’ weight.

WHAT TO DRINK

A crisp, dry white is almost always a good match with mussels, but because they can be cooked in myriad ways you need to ensure that the wine matches the main ingredients. For instance, if cooked in beer in the case of the classic moules frites, Katinka van Niekerk of The Food & Wine Pairing Guide recommends a Sauvignon Blanc or a Riesling. Mussels in a tomato sauce pair well with a Chenin; for garlic opt for an unwooded Chardonnay. But if the occasion doesn’t call for wine, the classic pairing of a Belgian beer such as a white ale will be equally delicious.

MOULES FRITES
SERVES 2

INGREDIENTS
1.2kg mussels (cleaned and sorted as described on previous page)
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, crushed
1 stick of celery, chopped
olive oil
250ml beer (or white wine)
a handful of thyme, flat-leaf parsley, chopped

1. Heat a glug of olive oil in a large pot and sweat the onions, garlic and celery on a medium heat until soft.

2. Add the chopped herbs and give it a good stir.

3. Add the mussels to the pot and pour in the beer or wine. Bring to the boil and simmer for roughly five minutes or until the shells have opened. Discard any that have remain closed.

4. Give the pot a good shake to distribute the onion, herbs, celery and garlic and serve with skinny potato chips cooked in a deep-fryer and some home-made mayo.