Mussels

[Jeekinz]

Here's what I had for lunch today. The leftover mussels from my boulliabaise. That's a serving salad bowl by the way.

The toast is a baguette with olive oil, black pepper then rubbed with a garlic clove.

Cleaned mussels
Olive oil
Sliced onion
Sliced garlic
Diced tomatoes
Tomato paste
Red Pepper flakes
Fresh thyme
White wine
Salt & pepper

[quicksilver]

I'll have what he's having, and then a nap, please!
So good looking, J. Thanks for the pic.
Are the mussels getting smaller these days? I don't see the ones (big) like we used to be able to get down here, anymore. But yours look ok.

[GrantsKat]

WOW!!! That looks SO good!! I would have no problem eating the whole bowl & then asking for secondsI havent had mussels in a long time....wish we had a good seafood store around
Thanks for sharing!

[BreezyCooking]

Depending on where you're located & where your mussels come from, the commercially available ones are DEFINITELY smaller.

Here in my area of Virginia, the most commonly available mussels come from Maine via the "Great Eastern Mussel Company". When they first hit the markets around here 13 years or so ago, they were fresh, pristine, & huge. Perfect not only for steaming, but also for one of our favorite recipes: "Mussels Au Gratin". As the years went by, Great Eastern's mussels (which are farmed) got smaller & smaller, until I finally e-mailed them & asked them what the story was. According to them, we retail consumers - the ones who helped make them popular by buying their product & who enjoy cooking our own shellfish - are now out of luck. I was told point blank that they only sell/ship the "large" mussels to the restaurant trade. We get the tiny ones that the restaurants, I guess, find unacceptable size-wise.

While they did send me some coupons for a couple of free bags of mussels, obviously I wasn't satisfied by that answer, & keep hoping another more charitable mussel purveyor will pick up the slack. Trying to make a decent "Mussels Au Gratin" out of dozens of tiny little mussels that are only an inch & a half long tops after cooking is barely worth the effort.

[pacanis]

I was going to say those were big looking mussels.... larger than the ones I just had and have been seeing where I shop.
They say the best time to get mussels is anytime except for summer, so I was hoping for larger ones in a few weeks. Hopefully anyway. I want to try the AB recipe I just saw and use my new stick blender to make the sauce.

[DramaQueen]

Jeekins, that's how I make my mussles too but I also add clams. Can't get enough. I save the leftover broth for seafood soup and it's sooooo good. Too good to throw out.

[quicksilver]

AH HA! Thanks for the info, BC. I didn't think it was my poor eyesight.

[BreezyCooking]

Oh yes - & I never toss the leftover broth either, whether it's steamed mussels or steamed clams. I save it in the fridge or freezer (along with any leftover - ha ha - shellfish) & use it in soup or, much more likely, white clam sauce for pasta.

[Jeekinz]

They were great. Thanks for the compliments.

They look small because the bowl is huge. It's a serving bowl, not a soup bowl. As far as size, they are just normal size, about 2.5" long.

DQ, I usually use clams too. I made Bouilliabasse and could only buy a bag of mussels so I had alot leftover.

[DramaQueen]

Originally Posted by Jeekinz

They were great. Thanks for the compliments.

They look small because the bowl is huge. It's a serving bowl, not a soup bowl. As far as size, they are just normal size, about 2.5" long.

DQ, I usually use clams too. I made Bouilliabasse and could only buy a bag of mussels so I had alot leftover.

Thanks a lot. I just ate the pictures.