Eat more mussels. For a while I had this written on a Post-It stuck to the fridge. It was maybe my most successful fridge note (certainly more effective than the one reminding everyone to close the door firmly), and one that helped decide endless meals while putting away the milk.
I remember writing it. It was after having a fling with a secondhand copy of Jenny Baker’s Simply Fish, a practical, really well laid-out recipe book and guide that sparkles thanks to her simple, intelligent writing. I particularly like the pros and cons sections. “Sharks – don’t be alarmed – make really excellent eating and being cartilaginous have no irritating bones. Barbel – a fine fighter but bony, and needs seasoning. Smelt – a freshly caught smell of cucumber and rushes, and make delicious eating: snap them up if you see them. Mussels are lovely and inexpensive: don’t be put off by fears of preparing them – it’s far less of a chore than new potatoes.”
Scrubbed up mussels look like a cross between a jewel and a fast car, have orange flesh and – always welcome, and especially at this time of year – bring their own liquor. What’s more, mussels, both wild and farmed, are undemanding, require no feeding, antibiotics or agrochemicals, and their impact is positive. They are “little pumping stations”, filtering bivalves that are able to recycle 10 gallons of water a day, therefore cleaning the water they live in, whether in open sea or farmed beds. Brilliant for the environment, possibly problematic when it comes to eating, so a good reason to listen to someone who knows the cleanest spots to collect them from. Or buy farmed mussels, which are cultivated under strictly-controlled conditions, and are generally sweeter and more reliably fattened than wild ones, anyway, though wild ones produce better liquor.
While it is best to eat mussels the day you buy them, they can be kept overnight in a bowl of cold water – just feed them a tablespoon of flour or oatmeal (which pleases children no end). To clean mussels, first wash them in a couple of changes of water, then yank out the hairy beard and use a pan scourer or stumpy knife to scrape away any barnacles or calcium. Discard any with cracked or open shells. If you are not ready to cook just yet, put them in a bowl of clean, cold water, and this time feed them a teaspoon of salt.
Cozze gratinate – stuffed mussels
Prep 20 min
Cook 10 min
Serves A crowd
1kg mussels, scrubbed and beards removed
100ml white wine
120g soft white breadcrumbs
1 garlic clove, peeled and very finely chopped
2 tbsp finely chopped parsley
1 heaped tsp dried oregano
2 tbsp grated parmesan
Zest of 1 unwaxed lemon
3 tbsp olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
Salt
Put the mussels in a large pan for which you have a lid, add the wine, set it over a medium heat, cover and cook, gently shaking the pan, for about about three minutes, until the mussels open. Pull them out as soon as they do, so they don’t go rubbery, and save the cooking juices; discard any that do not open.
Break off the hinged top shell from the mussels, leaving the flesh in the bottom half (if any mussels are particularly small, lift them out and pair with another small one in its half-shell boat).
Mix the breadcrumbs, garlic, herbs, parmesan, lemon, olive oil and two tablespoons of the mussel liquor, then divide this between the half-shells, pressing it down gently. Arrange the mussels on a baking tray, zigzag with more olive oil, then finish under the grill for two to three minutes, or until the crumbs are slightly golden and crisp. Serve immediately, while still hot.
