How to steam mussels

How to make steamed mussels .

The undisputed king of the Galician estuaries is the mussel. Always versatile, mussels are perfect in endless recipes with fish, but the most simple and traditional in Galicia are steamed mussels .

These bivalve molluscs have great gastronomic qualities. Its high protein content and low fat content make mussels a more than interesting snack.

The process to prepare perfect steamed mussels is very simple.

Starting from the base of a first-class product, some good mussels from the estuary, the end result is very difficult if it is not good. Even so, and if we want a plate of steamed mussels to be like kings, we must take into account a series of very simple premises.

Its cleaning, cooking and preparation are points to take into account that will influence the final result.

In the step by step of this recipe and with the help of the straight video that I leave you, we can discover all the secrets to prepare perfect steamed mussels.

If you love mussels like me, do not hesitate to take a look at other recipes that you can find on the blog where mussels are the protagonists.

Mussels a la marinera, mussels in white wine, mussels in a spicy sauce, pickled, in croquettes, with rice … the options are many and the results are all yummy.

Cleaning the mussels

1. Since mussels are a living element, we must be careful not to consume them more than two days after their capture. We will always keep the mussels in the fridge until cooked if this is not going to be on the day of your purchase.
2. We do an initial review and discard the mussels that have a broken shell and show their meat.
3. We start by cleaning the mussels. For this operation there are many opinions. There are those who want a clean shell before proceeding to cook the mussel. Others prefer to simply eliminate the fat to avoid losing properties and flavor power.
4. In my opinion, we should remove only the impurities, that is, beards and crustaceans that may have attached.
5. To do this, with the help of a knife and always under running water, we remove these obstacles and wash the shell well. I do not consider it necessary to eliminate every last corpuscle, not only are they not detrimental to the final result but it would lose part of its grace.

Cooking the mussels

1. Once we have the mussels clean, we will proceed to cook them. We must add to the casserole that we are going to use, a small amount of water. The equivalent of 1 finger at the bottom of the saucepan, 3 or 4 tablespoons will suffice.
2. Do not think in any case that this minimum amount of water will not be enough, that the mussels will end up burned or with the shells stuck to the bottom of the pot, not at all. During cooking, the mussels will release the water inside them and at the end we will find a good amount of liquid in the casserole.
3. I always keep the broth from the resulting cooking. Once strained and free of impurities, we will have a delicacy that will enrich any fish or seafood dish, rice, stews or pasta.

As a variant I will tell you that we can substitute water for white wine, an Albariño would be perfect. It will bring a different touch to the mussels, perfect for stews such as spaghetti à la vongole , classic mussels a la marinera or the delicious mussels in white wine .

Final presentation of the steamed mussels

1. Once we have added the necessary amount of water to the casserole. Add the mussels and a bay leaf to flavor the dish.
2. The question is, is it necessary to use laurel? The final result will not be the same? … the answer is yes, we can do without the laurel but why avoid it. It will give a touch of laurel to the mussels that can not fit better. So, if we have laurel at home we will not stop using it.
3. Once we have all the ingredients in the saucepan, cover it and light the fire. From the moment the water begins to boil and the mussels to cook, it will take about 7 or 8 minutes until they are ready. By the time the mussels have all opened, they are perfect to enjoy.
4. We turn off the heat, drain the resulting broth and reserve it and serve the mussels very hot.

We can accompany them with a lemon wedge to season them but it is not necessary.

There is no reason not to enjoy a good sitting of mussels cooked at home. This is a yummy sailor luxury.