How to clean mussels quickly!

How to clean mussels quickly and in the best way? Simple, just follow the procedure that we indicate below, step by step! Cleaning the mussels carefully is essential in order not to compromise the success of the dish.

You know when on the shell there is still the byssus (that beard attached) or the cooking water is cloudy? There is nothing worse to ruin a good meal! Furthermore, it is a matter of hygiene and can be a danger to our health ...

Not all, however, are familiar with mussels, which are not very easy to clean. That is why some explanation and advice will be needed. So let's understand together how to choose the best mussels, how to clean them quickly and then how to open them. Once you get used to them you will never stop cooking them! Pasta, risotto, fish first courses, side dishes ... mussels are good to cook in a thousand ways! Watch this video for some inspiration:

How to choose the right mussels

If you have decided to prepare a dish with fresh mussels, before focusing on how to clean them, let's understand together how to choose the right ones! Mussels, quite common molluscs found in abundance in our Mediterranean, are available all year round. So why not choose them fresh?

To recognize mussels that really are, always make sure that the shells are tightly closed and not split. The shells themselves must have a glossy color and have a certain weight. If they are too light or already a little open, it means that they are not very fresh ...

If you live in a seaside area or have a trusted fishmonger to contact, no problem! But if you are not in a sea area and the mussels are imported, always make sure that they are in a net with a lot of labels: if they are already soaking in water, beware!

The necessary to clean the mussels

What do we need to be able to clean mussels quickly? First of all you will need to get a toothbrush. A toothbrush is fine too, as long as its bristles are stiff! Otherwise, a classic kitchen scourer will do just fine.

You will then need a knife with a sharp blade and, to cook and open them, a rather large pot with a lid, a strainer with narrow holes and, finally, a cotton or linen handkerchief. Ready to clean your mussels?

How to clean mussels quickly

And here we are finally getting to the actual procedure, even if before cleaning the mussels it will always be necessary to make a sort of selection. Choose carefully from the fresh mussels you have purchased those that are intact and closed, discarding all those that are open (even if only a little) and broken.

After selecting the mussels suitable for consumption, take your knife and start cleaning the shells by removing all the byssus (the famous beard). This action will require a certain strength: proceed with firm jerks, better eliminate it with a few strokes, but clean.

At this point, after having removed the byssus, place the mussels in a large bowl and proceed with cleaning the surface. Take your toothbrush or steel wool and scrub the shells under running water. Scrape until you notice that all the impurities and lint are gone.

If there are any incrustations (usually white-gray), help with the knife to remove them! Make sure that the mussels are shiny and completely clean (especially if your dish requires you to serve the shells as well), then rinse them under running water and scrub them again with the toothbrush.

At this point your mussels will be clean and you can put them in a pot to cook them.

How to pull clean mussels out of their shells

Clean mussels, as is customary especially in Southern Italy, can also be simply opened and eaten raw, with just a splash of lemon, but you have to be very sure of their origin because the risk is to contract diseases with cholera, hepatitis and others. infections! It is therefore better to be cautious and cook them before consuming them.

After cleaning them as we have seen, put them on the stove and let them open, letting out the famous cooking water that you will need to flavor your mussel dish. Just let them cook for five minutes in a pot with the lid on, turning from time to time.

When you see the mussels open, turn off the heat and let them cool. At that point you can peel them or open them only halfway, depending on the dish you want to prepare. The mussels that have not opened can be removed.

To filter the cooking water that you will need to prepare your dish, use a sieve with very narrow holes, carrying out the operation several times, so as to be sure that you have eliminated all the impurities. You can filter the water further using a linen or cotton handkerchief.

At this point you can indulge yourself with many different dishes based on mussels, excellent especially in summer, such as the dishes suggested in our album: