Mussels Any Advice???

Nice Andrew
When is the season for Mussells anyway?

FYI!  So we went over and had several plates of PJ's mussels last night. He put out a call for guinea pigs then cooked up a bag of store bought, very clean, medium sized mussels and a bag of his hand picked free-range mussels  The larger wild mussels were hands down, much, much better. Awesome meal.

FYI!  So we went over and had several plates of PJ's mussels last night. He put out a call for guinea pigs then cooked up a bag of store bought, very clean, medium sized mussels and a bag of his hand picked free-range mussels  The larger wild mussels were hands down, much, much better. Awesome meal.

Yes without a doubt I would second that! They are much better.

went out in my boat a couple days ago.  dead calm, sunny 80 degrees. was able to work my way in & out of all the wonderful little nooks & crannys.  found the best spot & beached my boat, walked back out to the area's that looked the best & pulled a few here & few there.  at first i was slightly disappointed as i erroneously thought the ones i was pulling were smaller than the ones i bought @ the market a few days before.  i was wrong, they were perfect size!!!

drew a lot of strange looks from onlookers.  i figure if they ask i'll tell them i'm part of a research project from the local university & we're testing these mussels for neurotoxins!!!!  if i follow that remark up with, "did you hear about the local kid that ate some from 'round here?  he's been in a coma for a couple months now?"

that'll keep 'em away for several years.

nough said.

pj

Forgot, in homage to those that have given info here i will post my age-old discerning-palette-tested recipe involving mussels.  THIS RECIPE IS THE BOMB.

Seafood Pasta with French Bread;

1.5-2 Lbs or Mussels or More
.75-1 Lbs of Peeled Shrimp
.5-.75 Lbs of Littleneck or Manila Clams, if you can afford more, add more
10 Roma Tomatoes
1 Head of Garlic, with all cloves peeled.
1/4+ Stick of Butter
A Pinch of Pepper
A Dash or 2 of Hot Sause (Tapatio, Tobasco or similar)
A Sprinkling of Creole Seasoning (or similar)
Some Angel Hair Pasta
A Baguette, 2 if you're over 200 Lbs.

*Note, the trick to this dish is cooking the Mussels, Clams & Shrimp the correct amount without overcooking them.  They each require different amounts of time in the pot.  Clams typically take longer so they go in first, Mussels go in 2nd & the Shrimp go in last with the heat turned off.  Some Clams take longer to open than others so the most critical part is timing amount the 3 of them are in the pot together.  A rule of thumb is that the time from adding the clams to turning off the heat shouldn't be longer than 3-5 minutes.  It'll make sense below.

Here's what you do.
In a large sauce pot, big enough to hold it all, throw in the .25 stick of butter on low heat.
Slice all the Roma's up & toss them in as the butter melts.  Stir frequently so the butter spreads throughout.
Take all the cloves of garlic & press them & drop them in the pot.  Stir 'em in well.
Add the rest of the spices & turn the heat up to medium heat.

It should come to a boil, the juice from the Roma's should create a thick soupy kind of mix. 
Without letting it boil for more than a minute or 2 throw in the Clams 1st, wait a minute or 2 & throw in the Mussels.
Wait another minute or 2 till you see the Mussels & Clams start to open.
Once they open, turn off the heat, dump the Shrimp in & stir them all up & throw the lid on the pot.  Make sure the Shrimp are submerged in the liquid.

Let it simmer for a few more minutes, stirring the shrimp here & there & your done.

Add to cooked/finished Angel Hair Pasta in a bowl, ladle in some sauce along with Clams, Mussels & Shrimp.
Dip the French Bread in the sauce and serve a good bottle of Bordeaux, P. Noir or Merlot & viola you're done!

PJ

Wear camo, they can be spooky.

Just continuing the sillyness.  In all seroiusness, I did forget to mention wear a PFD.  If you should happen to get slammed by the big one in street clothes and rubber boots, you and the CG will be thrilled that you planned for it.

SBD is right for sure, wear your wetuit, PFD & booties with a thick sole.  Mussels will slice right thru surfing booties!!!

PJ

Hey PJ -

Recipe looks good and will give it a try, although will get my shellfish fro the 99 Ranch market.  Let's have a seafood throwdown when I come down to Cambria in July.

Scott

Pick any month with an R in it to avoid red tide poisoning. Also, pick the ones on the shady side of the rocks. I hear they are the better, safer ones to pick.