Tender mussel meat does not require long cooking.
If the mollusks spend more time in boiling water, they will become hard and completely unfit for human consumption.
In any case, the pleasure, which gives the properly cooked meat mussels, will not be. How to cook mussels to preserve the beauty of their sea freshness?
How to choose mussels
For well-known reasons, Russian mussels come into frozen stores. If you are buying this wonderful food product for the first time, you need to know how to choose really high-quality mussels.
• Shellfish in their shells should be whole, without cracks and snow “tracks” in the glaze. Otherwise, there is a high risk that the mussels have already been thawed, which means that the nutritional value and benefits are reduced to zero.
• The normal color of peeled mussels is light. If the meat is dark, it can be spoiled.
• When buying, you should give preference to products of famous brands, as a last resort, to check the availability of certificates. The fact is that mussels pass water through themselves and have the ability to accumulate toxins and other nastiness, including poisons that are deadly to health;
• The largest shellfish tastes best: they contain more meat and juice. The package indicates the number of mollusks in relation to the kilogram weight. The smaller this number, the larger copies are in the package.
Please note: a kilogram of mussels in the shell makes up about one hundred grams of pure meat.
How to prepare mussels for cooking and how to cook them
Frozen mussels in armor and without armor are prepared in different ways. In this case, you can pre-defrost the mollusks in the shell or not to do it - a matter of taste. But in any case it is necessary to wash it thoroughly: sand and algae may remain in mussels. If you decide to defrost mollusks, you can do it like this:
• the meat cleared of an armor to place in the refrigerator for a defrosting for 2-3 hours;
• Another option is to defrost mollusks in cold water (this method is suitable for unpeeled mussels).
Thawed product should be put in a colander and thoroughly rinse with cold water. If you do not plan to defrost the mollusks, you just need to wash them, and rub the shell with an additional brush to clean the sand and fragments of ocean flora.
How to cook mussels? The first rule: throw the product into the already boiling water and be sure to wait for the secondary boiling. From this point, count the exact number of minutes of cooking, so as not to spoil the meat.
Second rule: minimum water, especially if mussels are already cleaned. If you pour too much liquid, then a lot of juice will just disappear. The broth will turn out rich, but it is absolutely not necessary, since the decoction is rarely used in food. To preserve the taste as much as possible, water should be low: it should only pour a little meat.
When cooking mussels in the shell, pay attention to the condition of the valves. If the allotted time has passed since the moment of boiling, and the sash has not opened, this specimen can be safely thrown away: in front of you is a spoiled mollusk that is not fit for human consumption. From the opened shell, the meat should be extracted, flavored with the flavor to your taste, eaten just like that or used to prepare your favorite dish.
As for spices, this is a matter of taste. Someone likes the natural marine taste of tender mussels. In this case, do not drown it with scents alien to the sea. Someone, on the contrary, prefers to shade the taste of mollusks with lemon, bay leaf, pepper, olive oil, garlic.
How much to cook mussels in the sinks
Mussels go on sale in three main forms: • frozen in shells;
• frozen peeled from the shell (raw);
• cooked frozen peeled.
The degree of preparation of the product depends on the degree of preparation of the product. The most interesting, but not very convenient option - clams in shells. The product is ideal for romantics who want to feel at the seaside or in a small Italian restaurant.
Unpeeled mussels in the shells boil for 7 to 10 minutes. If the product has not been defrosted beforehand, the cooking time can be increased by 1-2 minutes. The traditional method of cooking in water is not the only one: mussels can be cooked in white wine or beer.
Traditional cooking method
• Pour two glasses of water into a saucepan and bring to a boil.
• After boiling, salt to taste and throw 450-500 grams of mussels.
• After secondary boiling, boil the clams for 8-10 minutes.
• Opened mussels are ready.
You can submit them entirely, without taking them out of the shell and spreading them out on beautiful plates. Sprinkle with fresh lemon juice or put lemon slices on a plate. Additionally, you can submit any sauce and herbs.
If you need to use meat for cooking, such as salad, the sash should be removed, and the mussels should be washed with warm water.
Mussels cooked in white wine
Wine aroma gives spice to tender meat. It is better to take an inexpensive dry wine. You can replace it with a semi-dry or semi-sweet variety.
• Pour into the pan one and a half cups of dry white wine.
• After boiling lay out 300-350 grams of mussels.
• Boil 7-10 minutes after the second boiling of the liquid.
Shumovka remove the finished mussels from the liquid, arrange on plates and serve. Unopened shells throw away. You can serve a dish with cheese or cream sauce.
Mussels boiled in beer
Mussels are often served with beer, pre-fried in garlic-cheese sauce. However, the foam drink itself can be an excellent medium for cooking mussels in the sink. It is advisable to use a spicy dark beer: it has a special aroma that blends perfectly with the taste of the meat of shellfish. At will it is possible to take light grades of beer. • Pour two glasses of beer into the pan.
• When the drink boils, gently drop 450 grams of thawed mussels into it.
• Boil for 5-6 minutes.
Serve with lemon and garlic snack. Upon request, offer a glass of chilled beer to mussels.
How to cook frozen mussels without shell
If you don't want to mess with the romance of the shells, you can buy already cleaned fresh mussels. How many cook mussels without a shell? After boiling, it will take no more than 7 minutes if the product is used in an unfrozen form. Pre-thawed mussel meat cooked for no more than 5 minutes.
How to cook frozen mussels? The traditional method of cooking in water is no different from the above. Bring a small amount of water to a boil and put the clams there. Meat used for cooking.
More interesting is the cooking method, in which mussels become a separate dish.
Mussels cooked in wine with spices
• Bring to a boil and a half cups of dry white wine.
• When it boils, put some spices for seafood in the water, add salt to taste, add pepper.
• If you want to shade the sea taste even more, you can use seasonal greenery.
• Dip 300 grams of mussels from boiling wine.
• Cook for five minutes under a lid on very low heat.
Remove the finished mussels with a slotted spoon and serve as your own dish. Plate decorated with lemon slices. Fresh lemon juice, which you can flavor the dish, perfectly combined with the taste of seafood.
Mussels cooked in milk
An unusual but very tasty combination of sea taste and milk flavor. How to cook frozen mussels in milk?
• Pour some milk into a saucepan (a glass and a half).
• When the milk starts to boil, salt it.
• Lower the mussels (300-400 grams is enough) and with stirring so that the milk does not boil away, boil the meat of the mollusks for no more than five minutes. In this way, it is possible to cook clams with a sink, respectively, increasing the cooking time by 5-7 minutes.
How to cook cooked frozen mussels
A dish of almost instant cooking - popular boiled mussels, frozen after cooking. In fact, they do not need heat treatment, but, you see, I don’t really want to use them in this form (even after defrosting). Therefore, before serving the finished product needs a little refreshment.
How to cook cooked frozen mussels? Just boil the water, salt it, lower the mussels and hold after the second boil no more than two, maximum three minutes in boiling salted water. You can add herbs, spices or fresh herbs to your taste. After that, drain in a colander, let the water drain and prepare for a further recipe.
There is another way to boil ready-made frozen clams: in olive oil. How to cook cooked and frozen mussels in this way?
• Pour an incomplete cup of olive oil (about two thirds) into a saucepan.
• Put a spoonful of spices for fish or seafood, mix.
• Optionally add a clove of garlic (optional).
• When the oil begins to boil, put a bag of mussels and warm in boiling oil for 2-3 minutes.
The mussels boiled in this way are spread out on a paper towel so that excess oil is removed. Serve with greens as an independent, very juicy and tender dish.
