How to Clean and Prep Mussels

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Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Food Styling by Anna Stockwell

When my partner and I first started dating, one of our go-to dinners—or appetizers, if we were really going for it—was steamed mussels. A mussel dinner feels cosmopolitan, but it’s actually pretty budget-friendly. Plus, you can buy, clean, and cook a bag of mussels in under an hour. We’d spoon the shellfish from their deep sauté pan into shallow bowls, piling their shiny shells high and always going in for an extra ladle of the briny broth (the real prize), which we’d soak up with crusty charred bread. As the saucy aroma filled the air, I would pry a shell apart with my fingers and slurp the broth trapped inside. It was a singular moment of luxury my publishing salary could afford.

“A bowl of mussels is meant to be shared,” says Jeremy Sewall, chef-owner at Boston’s Row 34, who makes massive pots of steamed mussels for family and friends all through fall and winter. Chef Félix Landrum grew up eating mussels every New Year’s Eve, a French tradition. Today, the dish is a nightly feature at his eponymous restaurant in Charleston. You can’t get around it: Mussels just feel celebratory.

To find out how to clean mussels like a pro, we asked Landrum and Sewall for their best tips, plus got details on what to look for when buying and cooking mussels. Below, find our guide to preparing mussels, plus a few of our favorite recipes.

Shopping for mussels:

Like any quality seafood, there are a few pointers to remember when buying mussels: Make sure to buy all shellfish from a fishmonger or grocery store you trust. Avoid frozen mussels whenever possible, which have a rubbery, unpleasant texture. Both Sewall and Landrum prefer Prince Edward Island mussels. These farm-raised mussels grow in deep, cold waters on ropes, so they don’t collect debris as easily as wild mussels harvested from silty shores. As a result, they’re already pretty clean by the time they reach your hands.

Sewall encourages cooks to try local mussels whenever available. Mussels—and all seafood, for that matter—develop flavors that reflect their habitat (yes, like wine grapes). If you live near a coast, do a little digging to find out if mussels are harvested in your area.

Mussels should be alive when you buy them and stay that way until you cook them. “Ideally, you’ll buy mussels the same day you use them,” Sewall explains. Fresh mussels should smell mild and sweet, almost like the ocean—not fishy. Ensure the mussel shells are shiny, free of cracks or breakage, and tightly shut. If you have an open mussel or two in the bag, give it a light tap against the counter or squeeze the shell. The shell should close and remain shut. If it opens again, that’s a sign it’s dead and likely should be discarded.

How to clean mussels:

If you don’t plan to cook the mussels immediately after buying them, keep them in the refrigerator under a cool, damp kitchen towel, but don’t store them in water. “If they soak in water too long, you can kill them,” Landrum says. Additionally, wait to clean the mussels until you’re ready to cook them. Cleaning mussels prematurely can cause stress, and the bivalve may die.

Some mussels might have what’s called a “beard” protruding near the hinge of the shell. This fibrous thread, also known as a byssal or byssus, isn’t harmful to eat, but it can be tough. You can debeard a mussel by pinching its byssal with your thumb and forefinger before pulling it toward the tip of the mussel. “It’s like pulling a weed,” Landrum explains.

Sewall says that if you’re squeamish about using your fingers, try grabbing the beard with pliers or tweezers. If you have trouble getting a good grip, use a paper towel to pinch the beard and pull it away. Most good-quality, farm-raised mussels you buy from fishmongers and grocers come fairly clean, so you shouldn’t expect to debeard more than a few.

After that, rinse the mussels in a colander with cold running water (tap water is fine). Again, don’t soak them. If you need to remove additional impurities, give them a gentle once-over with a vegetable brush. “You’re not scrubbing for military inspection,” Sewall assures.

How to serve mussels:

A good rule is one pound of mussels per person when serving them as a big appetizer or lighter main dish. Mussels have a delicate flavor, so Sewall recommends practicing restraint when seasoning. He often sweats aromatics, like onions or leeks and garlic and herbs in butter, then adds the shellfish with a splash of white wine or light beer, like a lager or saison. The mussels will release their liquor as they cook, which fortifies the pan’s contents into a briny, flavorful liquid. For added luxury, pull inspiration from Landrum’s Normandy-style preparation, where you cook mussels with Calvados, cream, lardons, shallots, and herbs.

Mussels don’t need long on the stove, just 5 to 10 minutes, and once most of the shells open, you can remove them from the heat. Any mussels that don’t open within that time should be discarded. One last thing to remember—perhaps the most important thing, as emphasized by both Sewall and Landrum—when serving a large bowl of steaming mussels with all that intoxicating broth, you’ll want lots (and lots) of toasted bread for sopping.

Originally Appeared on Epicurious