Do cooked mussels become toxic?

[taxlady]

A waiter told me that I couldn't have my leftover mussels in a doggy bag because the mussels become toxic wit 24 hours of being cooked. I have googled with no luck. It sounds bogus to me. Does anyone know or have any links?

[buckytom]

Nonsense. I've eaten cooked mussels 3 or 4 days after cooking, in both a wine and herb broth, and tomato sauces with no ill effects.

Pizza places near me store frozen mussels on the half shell that have been previously cooked to reheat in sauce to serve on a regular basis.

[caseydog]

It is extremely rare that I have leftover mussels, but I've eaten leftover mussels once before. I cooked them myself, but that shouldn't matter.

CD

[PrincessFiona60]

I think someone else took your mussels home.

[taxlady]

Originally Posted by PrincessFiona60

I think someone else took your mussels home.

Nope, I et them all and made them give me the sauce to bring home. It was, surprisingly, a Roquefort sauce and absolutely divine.

First, he said that leaving the shells in would make it go toxic. I removed all the mussels from their shells. Then he said that the mussels would make it go toxic. So, I removed and ate all the mussels. He said he could let me bring home the sauce, but it was still a risk. At that point, I wanted them to give me the sauce in a doggy bag whether or not I would eat it at home. The sauce is in the fridge and I intend to eat it by dipping bread in it.

[buckytom]

Use it to make a flatbread topping, or pizza!

[medtran49]

I'd be calling management to have a "discussion" about that waiter. What a line of you know what.

[tenspeed]

Leftover mussels are fine, as long as they were safe to start with. When I make mussels at home, I carefully sort through them to discard the dead ones and even the suspect ones. I now buy them from a top quality seafood store (meaning a high priced one that does most of their business with the local restaurants), but even then there are occasional dead ones. They get them from PEI, like everybody else, but they do a much better job of keeping them. When I used to buy them from the supermarket I ended up tossing way too many. If there are leftovers I don't keep them for more than 2 or 3 days.

Anthony Bourdain's take on mussels: "I don't eat mussels in restaurants unless I know the chef, or have seen, with my own eyes, how they store and hold their mussels for service. I love mussels. But, in my experience, most cooks are less than scrupulous in their handling of them. It takes only a single bad mussel, one treacherous little guy hidden among an otherwise impeccable group ... If I'm hungry for mussels, I'll pick the good-looking ones out of your order."

https://www.theguardian.com/books/20...tures.weekend1

[PrincessFiona60]

Originally Posted by taxlady

Nope, I et them all and made them give me the sauce to bring home. It was, surprisingly, a Roquefort sauce and absolutely divine.

First, he said that leaving the shells in would make it go toxic. I removed all the mussels from their shells. Then he said that the mussels would make it go toxic. So, I removed and ate all the mussels. He said he could let me bring home the sauce, but it was still a risk. At that point, I wanted them to give me the sauce in a doggy bag whether or not I would eat it at home. The sauce is in the fridge and I intend to eat it by dipping bread in it.

Good for you! That waiter has very poor Tableside Manners.

[CraigC]

I hope you left a "tip" written on a napkin about good service with no BS!

[Magiccarp]

It depends on the way they were cooked. If they are pickled there is no need to hurry up with them. If they are fried-the same. But, I believe, if they are fresh with some salt-there should be a sense.