Foraging mussels

Went out with my wife to collect some mussels for the seafood chowder last Sunday.  Found an Elephant Seal was laying on the beach with a shark bite mark.  A lady there said someone already contacted the F&G so I took a couple pictures and let it be.  Got home and steamed the mussels to add to the seafood chowder.  It was delicious!

That looks like too much fun, minus that big ol chunk missing from that seal . what do you do to them once you've collected them, do you let them soak to get out any gritty stuff? Scrape or brush em?

I soaked them overnight and scrubbed them a bit before cooked them.

Besides making chowder  you can steam, bake, broil them.  They are sweet and delicious!

I soaked them overnight and scrubbed them a bit before cooked them.

Thanks for the quick reply.  I'll have to get myself some asap!

We like the smaller ones, about the size of your thumb. A better mouth-sized bite. There isn’t much to purge and if you get them away from sandy areas, they shouldn’t have much grit (or pearls). When I do purge, I use fresh ocean water and a battery powered aerator for keeping bait (etc.) alive in a bucket. Kept 100 little necks alive and moving for three days this way.

Many people say to pull the beards before you steam, but I have always pulled them after.  Much easier by pinching the shell part way closed to hold the meat in, and you get a more complete removal.

Bottle of white wine, loaf of sour dough...

Damn that elephant seal got jacked

I'm the same way, cook first then debeard.  I de-shell them before eating so I don't spend too much time scrubbing the shells just get the big stuff off.

If they are gritty you can also rinse them after or even cut the stomach out with some kitchen shears. 

Mussels taste different depending on where you get them so if they are very strong tasting cutting the stomach out will help with those who are a pickier eaters.

I really like marinating them with olive oil, vinegar, etc.  or cooking them in a tomato sauce.  Both with lots of bread.

Freeze in mussel juice for later.

I would guess that the injury to the elephant seal would be fatal?
Yikes.

Mussels look great though!

yum yum yum!! Maybe i'll try to sneak out this weekend! would be fun to get some peeps together for this

I think I'm gonna try and go tide pooling at Pillar Point on Saturday, get some mussels and hopefully the uni is still good.  Should be a negative tide around 4:30. 

Hmmm. I think I’ll be there too☺️

I wouldn’t eat mussels from the harbor.

They’re yummy 😋

FYI...be safe