had some friends over for dinner last night and i know 4 of them love mussels so i bought about 28 or so.About 3 hrs later i cooked them as an entree and 4 never opened, so i assume they were dead, and i threw out.Does that sound about right for that batch to have that many dead. I cooked them with garlic bit cumin fresh coriander and white wine and wee bit of coconut cream, they said they were delish, incidentally they only cost me around $8.Cheap feed really
dalkemade,
Mar 24, 11:13pm
Sounds about right to me from past experience.I read an article recently, cant remember where, that said it was ok to eat the unopened ones. Reckon I would not unless I knew a lot more about that.
sarahb5,
Mar 24, 11:20pm
Yep sounds about right - we love mussels, hubby often buys them for weekend lunch - he buys 16 if there's only two of us having them because we have them on their own and there's usually 2 or 3 that don't open.He cooks them with garlic, chopped tomatoes, red chilli, onion and a splash of white wine.The leftover "juice" makes fantastic soup too!
gilligee,
Mar 25, 12:52am
The English Seafood cook that used to have a dog called Chalky said the unopened ones were OK. The name escapes me at this moment.
dreamers,
Mar 25, 1:23am
I always put them the unopened ones back for a few minutes longer till they open.Never had a problem.
firemansgirl,
Mar 25, 1:34am
His name is Rick Stein.
scuba,
Mar 25, 1:48am
depends if they didn't open because they not cooked enough or they didn'topen cos they're dead. how did you cook them! usually the dead ones are already open when you look at them and don't close when youtouch the shell- their the ones you need to watch.
deus701,
Mar 25, 1:56am
Sometimes its a matter of cooking longer. Other than that, I dont eat them.as I wasnt invited to their funeral so they could be dead for ages.
mrgts4,
Mar 25, 2:33am
We had them last weekend and 4 out of 28 didn't open. Wife cooks them like your husband sarahb5, beautiful
iman007,
Mar 25, 2:33am
so i will just allow a few extras for next time, and i was told that if they didnt open they were dead and not ok to eat, i hrew the few out that didnt open,the pan was hot enough.I learnt something, thanks peeps
suzanna,
Mar 25, 5:42am
Have always eaten mussels whether they initially open or not- simply 'shuck' the unopened ones. Even when diving and having a seafood cookup on the beach we eat any that are stubborn about opening and never a problem. If I am buying from fishmongers or supermarket I always ask for the freshest rather than the ones on offer in the tanks.
beaker59,
Mar 25, 7:00am
Its if they are open before you cook them that means they are dead, even then touch the mussel with the tip of your knife and normally they will close which means they are fine then cook them. If they don't open when cooking then they are either not cooked enough or there is another issue like its full of sand etc.
willyow,
Mar 25, 2:17pm
Typical -can remember the dog's name but not the cook's! I'm like that with cats. After all, they are often nicer than their owners.
sarahb5,
Mar 25, 3:11pm
The ones that don't open straightaway we leave in the hot "juices" and if they open we eat them later but if they still don't open we chuck them - they're so cheap anyway I'd rather not risk food poisoning for the sake of not wasting 50c
blueviking,
Apr 4, 2:20am
So how do you tell if they're "dead" if you shuck them to eat them raw!Cooks throw them away cause they can't be bothered opening them.Try this recipe: Get a sharp point knife and cut the raw mussel in half. Mix butter/margarine with crushed garlic, half/half. place on each half shell mussel. Sprinkle with grated cheese and cook on bbq, or place on tray and grill in oven til cheese is browned.For a bit more flavour add a sprinkle of parmesan before cooking.I have converted people that"don;t eat mussels" to eating mussels with this recipe.Preparation takes a while, but the end product is well worth the time.
beaker59,
Apr 4, 8:39am
Blue viking when they die they open not opening on cooking doesn't neccesarily mean they were dead it just means the hinge is damaged or they haven't been cooked enough.
I always shell mine raw as they are so much better that way and its really quick and easy once you get the knack. The difference between a mussel fritter made from raw mussels as opposed to steamed ones is something else different leage entirely.
darlingmole,
Apr 4, 3:20pm
hmmm I always steam my mussels open to make the fritters . how different are they going to be if I open them raw I wonder!
dezzie,
Apr 4, 5:38pm
If you like the mussel flavour, you will be amazed how much more "mussely" they taste darlingmole, and of course they are way bigger because they havn't shrunk in the steaming process, its a bit tricky getting them out "tidy" but hey its fritters, and once they are battered who can see.
beaker59,
Apr 4, 7:26pm
It makes a huge difference as every time you cook mussels they get tougher and less juicy. Steaming and then frying as a fritter basically double cooks them.
jag5,
Apr 4, 7:30pm
Unopened are fine after cooking.it is the open ones before cooking that can be a problem.
darlingmole,
Apr 4, 10:20pm
okay . so I'm going to try bluevikings recipe (with garlic butter'n'cheese under the grill.Have got the mussels and will attempt to shuck them raw . how untidy will their appearance be do you think! (I'm not fussy, just for me and the hubby but if it's the die-for that bludeviking reckons I'll definately use it again for friends IF they look as good as they taste)
beaker59,
Apr 4, 11:05pm
I find they come out quite tidy and easy but then I have been doing it for a few years. Use a thin sharp small kife a vege knife works well.
darlingmole,
Apr 5, 1:07am
too late - used a huge butchers knife (the only sharp one in the kitchen) and the mussels got a bit bent out of shape BUTTTTTT! my husband was in heaven over the mussels so big thank you to blue viking for that yumcious recipe.To be honest I thought about adding a splash of sav, perhaps a wee dollop of sour cream and dash of sweet thai but once again I thought "nope" and merely sprinkled some homegrown dill.A major hit, simple yet divine.An old Chinese saying:Simplicity is the ultimate in sophistication.Who am I to disagree!!
blueviking,
Apr 5, 4:17pm
Glad they hit the spot darlingmole. You can try anything on them really.Crushed ginger or chilli if you like them with a bit of kick. You've got all winter to perfect them for next summers bbq season.
darlingmole,
Apr 15, 4:37am
true true blueviking . had them again today after church, was even nice enough to share some with my neighbour - once again, a raging sucess!Will give other flavours a try but am thinking why muck around with perfection!
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