I'm lucky. I live near what styles itself as the 'best Belgian gastropub in London' (against what I imagine is fairly limited competition). Anyhow, it always has a choice of mussels - mariniere, with cream, Spanish, Thai curry etc - and very good chips. Also Belgian beer. If anyone lives in south west London, I can recommend Brouge as the place to go for a mussel fest.
To prang, an excellent verb. As a mussel fancier I confess with some embarrassment that I have not been using an empty shell as my pincer, nor have I employed the fork-cum-shell method. I am in the primitive school of eaters, doing as much as possible without utensils of any kind. A single mussel shell does nicely to scoop up the broth. My introduction to mussels was in the north of Scotland, where they grew in great masses on the rocks in front of the Croft I rented. I could gather a bushel in two minutes. But then I had to drive an hour to buy garlic in Ullapool.
Deeply impressed you found garlic in Ullapool back in the day. Not always readily available on Mull when I lived there till this year. You would enjoy using two (not one) still-hinged shells as tweezers to extract the mussels. It sort of allots us temporary membership in the pincer claw clan of crabs and lobsters.
I remember the smoked salmon I ate on the isle of Lewis and we flew there from Ullapool. But I left the foraging and cooking up to the professionals since it was vacation time. Oddly I found the French influenced chef who turned a Croft into an auberge because I was looking for seaweed baths but didn't realize it was an Irish thing and not done in Scotland. My beach walk yesterday yielded some blue mussels and a striper picked to the bone ..
Scottish smoked salmon is like no other - except perhaps Irish smoked salmon. People who think it's another name for lox are knocked for six. Sounds like you have your own splendid marine life on your doorstep.
Blu blu blu.. the Maine lobster 🦞 whole heartedly supports your molusc rehabilitation scheme. Mussels are delectable. Mussels and frites make me swoon. You can even get them in a package smoked. Much easier to eat than a steamed clams or lobster. Mari culture is the next wave... thanks for sharing my breakfast with me.
Whoever worked out that a frite was the mussel's improbable but perfect partner was a genius. (Though maybe the frite is the perfect partner to most food?) I love love smoked mussels - sometimes squished into thin slices of buttered Swedish black bread, iced vodka on the side - the sweet and the smoked...We need to co-opt willing creatures in the fight to clean out waters.
I'm lucky. I live near what styles itself as the 'best Belgian gastropub in London' (against what I imagine is fairly limited competition). Anyhow, it always has a choice of mussels - mariniere, with cream, Spanish, Thai curry etc - and very good chips. Also Belgian beer. If anyone lives in south west London, I can recommend Brouge as the place to go for a mussel fest.
SW London is often my patch! So thank you!
To prang, an excellent verb. As a mussel fancier I confess with some embarrassment that I have not been using an empty shell as my pincer, nor have I employed the fork-cum-shell method. I am in the primitive school of eaters, doing as much as possible without utensils of any kind. A single mussel shell does nicely to scoop up the broth. My introduction to mussels was in the north of Scotland, where they grew in great masses on the rocks in front of the Croft I rented. I could gather a bushel in two minutes. But then I had to drive an hour to buy garlic in Ullapool.
When are you coming to the US?
Deeply impressed you found garlic in Ullapool back in the day. Not always readily available on Mull when I lived there till this year. You would enjoy using two (not one) still-hinged shells as tweezers to extract the mussels. It sort of allots us temporary membership in the pincer claw clan of crabs and lobsters.
I remember the smoked salmon I ate on the isle of Lewis and we flew there from Ullapool. But I left the foraging and cooking up to the professionals since it was vacation time. Oddly I found the French influenced chef who turned a Croft into an auberge because I was looking for seaweed baths but didn't realize it was an Irish thing and not done in Scotland. My beach walk yesterday yielded some blue mussels and a striper picked to the bone ..
Scottish smoked salmon is like no other - except perhaps Irish smoked salmon. People who think it's another name for lox are knocked for six. Sounds like you have your own splendid marine life on your doorstep.
Blu blu blu.. the Maine lobster 🦞 whole heartedly supports your molusc rehabilitation scheme. Mussels are delectable. Mussels and frites make me swoon. You can even get them in a package smoked. Much easier to eat than a steamed clams or lobster. Mari culture is the next wave... thanks for sharing my breakfast with me.
Whoever worked out that a frite was the mussel's improbable but perfect partner was a genius. (Though maybe the frite is the perfect partner to most food?) I love love smoked mussels - sometimes squished into thin slices of buttered Swedish black bread, iced vodka on the side - the sweet and the smoked...We need to co-opt willing creatures in the fight to clean out waters.
Jeez here I am thinking I’m worldly and I had no idea about the mussel-spoon and mussel-pincer tricks! Great read as always, Julia.
Isn't it a neat trick! I'm glad you enjoyed the read
Even your erudite and entertaining article cannot win over this mussel phobe reader!
They are the Marmite of molluscs.