How to cook closed mussels. How to cook frozen peeled mussels. How to cook large shells

Tender mussel meat does not require long cooking.

If shellfish spend more than the required time in boiling water, they will become hard and completely unfit for consumption.

In any case, the pleasure that properly cooked mussel meat gives will no longer exist. How to cook mussels to preserve all the charm of their sea freshness?

How to choose mussels

For obvious reasons, mussels are delivered to Russian stores frozen. If this is your first time buying this wonderful food product, you need to know how to choose really high-quality mussels.

Clams in shells must be whole, without cracks or snowy “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 shelled mussels is light. If the meat is dark, it may be spoiled.

When purchasing, you need to give preference to products from well-known brands, or, as a last resort, check for certificates. The fact is that mussels pass water through themselves and have the ability to accumulate toxins and other nasty things, including poisons that are deadly to health;

Large shellfish taste best: they have more meat and juice. The packaging indicates the number of shellfish in relation to the kilogram weight. The lower this number, the larger the specimens in the package.

Note: A kilogram of shelled mussels yields about a hundred grams of pure meat.

How to prepare mussels for cooking and how to cook them

Frozen mussels in the shell and without the shell are prepared differently. In this case, you can first defrost the shellfish in the shell or not - it’s a matter of taste. But in any case, you will have to wash it thoroughly: sand and algae may remain in the mussels.

If you decide to defrost shellfish, you can do it like this:

Place the shelled meat in the refrigerator to defrost for 2-3 hours;

Another option is to defrost the clams in cold water (this method works for unpeeled mussels).

Place the defrosted product in a colander and rinse thoroughly with a stream of ice water. If you do not plan to defrost the shellfish, you just need to wash them and rub the shell additionally with a brush to remove any stuck-on grains of sand and fragments of ocean flora.

How to cook mussels? First rule: throw the product into already boiled water and be sure to wait for a second boil. From this moment on, count the exact number of minutes of cooking so as not to spoil the meat.

Second rule: a minimum of water, especially if the mussels have already been cleaned. If you pour too much liquid, a lot of the juice will simply disappear. The broth will turn out rich, but this is completely unnecessary, since the broth is rarely used as food. To preserve the taste as much as possible, there should be little water: it should only slightly cover the meat.

When cooking mussels in the shell, pay attention to the condition of the valves. If the allotted time has passed since boiling, and the valve has not opened, you can safely throw away this specimen: this is a spoiled shellfish that is not suitable for food. The meat must be removed from the opened shell, flavored with an aromatic additive to your liking, eaten plain or used to prepare your favorite dish.

As for spices, it's a matter of taste. Some people like the natural sea taste of tender mussels. In this case, you should not drown it out with aromas alien to the sea. Some people, on the contrary, prefer to highlight the taste of shellfish with lemon, bay leaf, pepper, olive oil, and garlic.

How long to cook mussels in shells

Mussels are sold in three main forms:

Frozen in shells;

Frozen, peeled (raw);

Boiled-frozen, peeled.

How long to cook the mussels depends on the degree of preliminary preparation of the product. The most interesting, but not very convenient option is shellfish. The product is ideal for romantics who want to feel like they are on the seaside or in a small Italian restaurant.

Unpeeled mussels in their shells are boiled for 7 to 10 minutes. If the product has not been previously defrosted, the cooking time can be increased by 1-2 minutes. The traditional method of boiling in water is not the only one: mussels can be boiled in white wine or beer.

Traditional cooking method

Pour two glasses of water into the pan and bring to a boil.

After boiling, add salt to taste and throw in 450-500 grams of mussels.

After the second boil, cook the shellfish for 8-10 minutes.

The opened mussels are ready.

You can serve them whole without removing them from the shell and placing them on beautiful plates. Sprinkle with fresh lemon juice or place lemon wedges on a plate. Additionally, you can serve any sauce and herbs.

If you need to use meat to prepare a dish, for example, a salad, the sash must be removed and the mussels additionally rinsed with warm water.

Mussels cooked in white wine

The wine aroma adds piquancy to tender meat. It is better to take inexpensive dry wine. You can replace it with a semi-dry or semi-sweet variety.

Pour one and a half glasses of dry white wine into the pan.

After boiling, add 300-350 grams of mussels.

Boil for 7-10 minutes after the liquid boils again.

Using a slotted spoon, remove the finished mussels from the liquid, arrange on plates and serve. Discard unopened shells. You can serve the dish with cheese or cream sauce.

Mussels boiled in beer

Mussels are often served with beer, having previously been fried in garlic and cheese sauce. However, the foamy drink itself can be an excellent medium for boiling mussels in the sink. It is advisable to use spicy dark beer: it has a special aroma that goes well with the taste of shellfish meat. If desired, you can take light beers.

Pour two glasses of beer into the pan.

When the drink boils, carefully lower 450 grams of defrosted mussels into it.

Boil for 5-6 minutes.

Serve with lemon and garlic appetizer. If desired, offer a glass of chilled beer with the mussels.

How to cook frozen mussels without shell

If you don’t want to bother with the romance of shells, you can buy already cleaned fresh mussels. How long to cook mussels without shell? After boiling, this will take no more than 7 minutes if the product is used unfrozen. Pre-defrosted mussel meat is 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. You need to bring a small amount of water to a boil and add the clams there. Use the meat for preparing main courses.

More interesting is the cooking method, in which mussels become a separate dish.

Mussels cooked in wine and spices

Bring one and a half glasses of dry white wine to a boil.

When it boils, put some seafood spices into the water, add salt to taste, and add pepper.

If you want to highlight the sea flavor even more, you can use seasonal greens.

Place 300 grams of mussels in boiling wine.

Cook for five minutes, covered, over very low heat.

Remove the finished mussels with a slotted spoon and serve as a separate dish. Decorate the plate with lemon slices. Fresh lemon juice, which can be used to flavor the dish, goes well with the taste of seafood.

Mussels boiled in milk

An unusual but very tasty combination of sea flavor with the aroma of milk. How to cook frozen mussels in milk?

Pour a little milk (a glass and a half) into the saucepan.

When the milk starts to boil, add salt.

Lower the mussels (300-400 grams is enough) and while stirring so that the milk does not boil away, boil the shellfish meat for no more than five minutes.

You can also cook shellfish in this way, increasing the cooking time by 5-7 minutes.

How to cook boiled-frozen mussels

A dish that can be prepared almost instantly is the popular boiled mussels, frozen after cooking. In fact, they do not need heat treatment, but, you see, you don’t really want to eat them in this form (even after defrosting). Therefore, before serving, the finished product needs to be slightly refreshed.

How to cook boiled-frozen mussels? Just boil water, salt it, lower the mussels and hold after the second boil for no more than two, maximum three minutes in bubbling salted water. You can add herbs, spices or fresh herbs to your taste. Then drain in a colander, let the water drain and cook according to the following recipe.

There is another way to boil ready-made frozen shellfish: in olive oil. How to cook boiled-frozen mussels in this way?

Pour half a glass of olive oil into the saucepan (about two-thirds).

Add a spoonful of fish or seafood spices and stir.

Add a clove of garlic if desired (optional).

When the oil starts to boil, add a package of mussels and heat in boiling oil for 2-3 minutes.

Place the mussels boiled in this way on a paper towel to remove excess oil. Serve with herbs as an independent, very juicy and tender dish.

What to cook from mussels: recipes for soups, salads and main courses, with vegetables, avocado, quail eggs and mushrooms. Marinated mussels.

Mussel dishes are a variety of delicious and tempting delicacies. These shellfish can be prepared in different ways, but most often mussel recipes involve boiling or frying. Mussel meat is salted, marinated, grilled, smoked, baked, fried in batter. Salads, soups, stews, soufflés, and pilaf are prepared from mussels. Often shellfish are stewed in various sauces (garlic, cream, tomato) or cooked sailor style (a la mariniere) - with garlic, lemon juice and white wine. Mussel meat goes well with fresh vegetables, herbs and olive oil. It is served with pasta, various cereals and potatoes.

What to cook from mussels: recipes

Recipe 1.

You will need: 300 g of broccoli, 2 fresh cucumbers, 200 g of boiled mussels (or mussels in oil), 2 cloves of garlic, 30 ml of soy sauce, 2 tablespoons of sweet mustard, 1 onion, 90 g of cashew nuts, 60 ml of olive oil.

Thaw the mussels (drain the oil if using clams in oil). Boil the broccoli for 4 minutes in water with a pinch of salt, and then transfer it to cold water for a couple of minutes. Cut the garlic into small slices, cucumbers into thin strips, onions into half rings, cabbage into beautiful pieces. In a salad bowl, combine cucumbers, mussels, broccoli, onions and garlic. Grind cashews in a blender. Add soy sauce, mustard and oil to the nuts. Whisk everything thoroughly. Pour the resulting dressing over the salad.

Recipe 2.

You will need: 200 g of fresh mussels, 1 avocado, a pea-sized piece of fresh ginger or a pinch of dry seasoning, olive oil, a handful of chopped pistachios, 150 g of cherry tomatoes, 150 of boiled rice, a handful of sesame seeds, 30 ml of soy sauce, 200 g of arugula.

Boil the mussels, remove the shells and rinse well. Peel the avocado, cut into slices, place in a baking dish lined with parchment, drizzle with oil, sprinkle with ginger and place in the oven for 10-15 minutes. He just needs to get a little tired. Cut the tomatoes into halves. Place mussels, cherry tomatoes, cooled avocados on the arugula, sprinkle with rice, chopped pistachios, sesame seeds and pour soy sauce over the salad.

Recipe 3. Mussel salad “Inspiration”

You will need: 16 fresh mussels, 8 quail eggs, 200 g cherry tomatoes, 1 bunch of arugula, 1 bell pepper, basil sprig, hard cheese - to taste. For dressing: 1 lime, a pinch of salt, 20 ml soy sauce, freshly ground black pepper, 50 ml olive oil.

Rinse the mussels thoroughly and place in boiling water. Cook for no more than 6 minutes, otherwise the meat will become tough. Rinse the cooked shellfish in cold water and carefully remove the meat from the shells. Boil quail eggs in boiling water (about 5 minutes), peel and cut in half. Rinse all vegetables thoroughly. Cut the bell pepper into cubes, cherry tomatoes into halves. Place peppers, tomatoes in a salad bowl, add eggs, basil leaves and finely chopped arugula. Place mussels on top. Mix salt, lime juice and pepper, add oil and soy sauce, whisk everything well and pour the dressing into the salad. The cheese can be grated, but it will turn out much more beautiful if you “cut” it with a potato peeler and decorate the salad with these petals.

Recipe 4.

You will need: 550 g of mussels in shells, 150 ml of dry white wine, 2 bay leaves, 25 ml of lemon juice, a clove of garlic, 1 teaspoon each of honey and mustard, several peas each of white, black and allspice, salt, 2 sprigs of fresh pepper cilantro and dill, a quarter cup of vegetable oil.

Boil wine in a saucepan, add a clove of garlic, pepper, bay leaf, put the mussels in and cook for about 5 minutes until the shells open. How to cook frozen mussels? The shellfish are defrosted naturally and simply brought to a boil in wine. Now make the sauce: add finely chopped herbs, butter, mustard, honey and salt to the lemon juice. You can add a pinch of chili pepper and a handful of capers to this mixture. Remove the mussels from the shells, rinse well, place in a glass jar, cover with marinade and place in the refrigerator. They need to be stirred periodically. The shellfish should spend 6-8 hours in the marinade.

How to cook peeled mussels

Recipe 5.

You will need: 2 liters of water, 450 g of boiled peeled mussels, 200 ml of cream with 10% fat content, 170 ml of dry white wine, 120 g of rice, 1 small onion, 150 g of sweet bell pepper, 7 white peppercorns, a pinch of curry powder, 3 each sprigs of fresh parsley and thyme, salt to taste.

Place the pan with washed rice and water on maximum heat. Meanwhile, prepare the vegetables. Finely chop the onion. Cut the pepper into strips. Set aside a few mussels and a sprig of herbs for serving. When the rice has cooked for 10 minutes, add the onion, parsley, thyme, bell pepper, and mussels. When the onion softens, pour in the wine. Add salt, curry and pepper at the very end. Take out the sprigs of greenery. To prevent the cream from curdling, add it 5 minutes after turning off the soup. Ladle the soup into bowls. Garnish with reserved mussels and chopped herbs.

Recipe 6.

You will need: 200 g of boiled peeled mussels, 4 large tomatoes, 1 onion, 70 g of rice, 1 coffee spoon of sugar, 2 cloves of crushed garlic, 1 carrot, a third of a glass of vegetable oil, a bunch of basil, 80 ml of dry white wine, salt, a few peas white or green pepper.

Rinse all vegetables and herbs well. Fry peeled and finely chopped onions and carrots in half the oil. Pour boiling water over the tomatoes, dip in cold water and remove the skin. Separate the basil into leaves. Add half the basil and 2 tomatoes to the pan with the onion and simmer for a few more minutes. And when the vegetables have cooled a little, use a blender to puree them and place them in a saucepan with hot water (about 800 ml). When the vegetables boil, reduce the heat. Fry the rice in the remaining oil, add sugar and wine, simmer a little and add to the pan with the soup. Cook for 10 minutes. Peel the remaining tomatoes, cut them thinly, and finely chop the basil leaves. Add basil, tomatoes, garlic, mussels to the soup and let simmer for a few more minutes.

Recipe 7.

You will need: 250 g of peeled boiled mussels, 1 zucchini or zucchini, 1 stalk of celery, 150 g of cauliflower, 1 carrot, vegetable oil, 2 sweet peppers, a clove of garlic, flour, 1 onion, spices to taste.

Wash all vegetables. Peel the zucchini from the skin. Remove seeds from peppers. Cut the vegetables into small cubes. Finely chop the onion, celery and garlic. Separate the inflorescences from the cabbage. Cut the carrots into thin half rings or grate them. Heat a little oil in a frying pan, roll the mussels in flour and fry until golden brown, about 3 minutes. Separately, fry the vegetables in oil: first the onion and garlic, and then the pepper, zucchini, carrots and celery. At the very end, add salt, pepper, mussels and simmer for another 3 minutes.

Recipe 8. Mussels with champignons in creamy sauce

You will need: 350 g of peeled boiled mussels, 7 large champignons, 100 ml of sour cream, half a bunch of green onions, 120 g of grated cheese, a handful of chopped parsley, 70 g of butter, 2 cloves of garlic, spices to taste.

Wash the mushrooms, dry them on a towel and cut them into pieces the size of mussels. Melt butter in a frying pan, add mussels and champignons. Fry for 5 minutes, stirring. Then add finely chopped onion and garlic, add a little salt and pepper, as the cheese will also add salt and the garlic will add spiciness. Fry for another 3 minutes. Then add cheese, sour cream and heat for a couple more minutes. Before serving, decorate the dish with chopped herbs.

And a few more secrets of cooking mussels. These shellfish can be combined with many foods, but it is recommended to cook mussels alone, without mixing with other types of meat, so as not to interrupt their delicate taste. Instead of regular salt, it is better to use sea salt; the main thing is not to oversalt the delicacy, since mussel meat itself is not fresh. It is customary to serve mussel dishes with white wine – this way their taste is revealed richer. Enjoy your culinary adventures and delicious mussels!

Mussels are a delicacy beloved by many, which can be boiled for a holiday table or just for dinner, and you can also prepare many delicious dishes from them, so in this article we will look at how much and how to properly cook mussels (fresh, frozen) at home.

How long to cook mussels?

The cooking time for mussels depends on the type of mussels (fresh, frozen), as well as whether they have been shelled (shelled) or not. Let's consider separately how long you need to cook mussels in a pan:

How long to cook fresh mussels in a pan? Fresh mussels in shells must be cooked for 4-5 minutes after the water boils in the pan.
How long to cook peeled frozen mussels? Freshly frozen mussels need to be cooked for 5-7 minutes after boiling water in a pan, and boiled frozen peeled mussels should be cooked for 2-3 minutes after boiling water.

Note: when preparing mussels, you should follow the cooking time, as overcooked mussels will be tough and less tasty.

Having found out how long to cook mussels, we will next consider the process of cooking these shellfish in a saucepan.

How to cook mussels (frozen, fresh) in a saucepan?

Regardless of the type of mussels - fresh or frozen (boiled, fresh), the sequence of their cooking is the same, only the preparation for cooking differs (fresh mussels in the shell must be thoroughly rinsed before cooking and manually remove any remaining algae, if any). Let's look at how to cook mussels in a saucepan step by step:

Pour cold water into the pan (on average 1 kg of mussels per liter of water) and bring to a boil over high heat.
Add salt to the boiling water, seasonings if desired (bay leaf, herbs, garlic), then add the mussels. Cook the mussels for 4-5 minutes if the mussels are fresh in shells, 5-7 minutes for fresh frozen ones or 2-3 minutes for peeled and boiled frozen ones.
At the end of cooking, immediately remove the cooked mussels from the pan (you can drain the water through a colander), since if they are left in the water, they will boil and become rubbery.
We serve boiled mussels to the table, and to improve their taste, the mussels can be doused with lemon juice or a prepared sauce (for example, olive oil, garlic and fresh herbs).

Note: if fresh mussels do not open during cooking, then they are lost and should not be eaten (after cooking, unopened mussels are selected and thrown away).
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How are mussels prepared? Yes, basically in the most banal way - they are boiled. Especially if these are not peeled shellfish, but mussels in shells. Fresh or frozen - it doesn't matter. After cooking, they can be eaten directly by sprinkling with lemon juice, or they can be used as an ingredient for other dishes - for example, for salads or for Italian pasta sauce. Want to know how to cook mussels in their shells, that is, in their shells? Nothing could be simpler. You will have to tinker no more than with the already familiar shrimp. You can serve real spaghetti as a side dish for mussels. By the way, you also need to learn how to cook spaghetti correctly.

The nutritional value of mussels cannot be overestimated. In terms of protein content, they are superior even to beef or red fish. Mussels contain a lot of vitamins D and E. They also contain zinc, which is why mussels are considered very beneficial for men's health. Hypovitaminosis, blood diseases, reduced immunity - all these are indications for including shellfish in a regular diet. In general, mussels are not a luxury, but an element of a healthy diet.

Ingredients:

mussels in shells (fresh or frozen) – 1 kg;
lemon – 1 pc.;
salt – 2 g.

Cooking mussels in shells

1. To cook mussels, you need to learn how to choose them correctly. Closed clams are often much cheaper than open clams. Mussels in shells can be purchased both fresh and frozen. When choosing a closed clam, you need to pay attention to the integrity of the shell. If the sink is chipped or slightly open, it is better not to take it. This is due to the fact that bacteria can get into the hole, and the finished dish from a spoiled product can become dangerous to human health. It is better to choose large mussels; they are much juicier and tastier than small ones.

2. It’s not difficult to prepare mussels – you just need to boil them. We stock up on a deep bowl, lightly add some salt to the water and bring to a boil. Important: it is better to place mussels in boiling water, rather than bring them to a boil along with the liquid.

3. Pay attention to the cooking time. The frozen product takes 7-10 minutes to cook, but fresh shellfish cook faster, only 5-7 minutes. If some shells do not open after boiling, they should be discarded. There is no point in trying to open them; the shellfish inside is spoiled. You can easily tell when a dish is ready by its aroma. As soon as the shellfish meat is cooked and the doors open, an extraordinary aroma with sea notes will spread throughout the kitchen. Remember that consuming low-quality products is fraught with food poisoning, from which neither you nor your loved ones are insured.

4. Ready-made mussels should be poured well with lemon juice and mixed. You can only eat the meat part and the mantle; there is also liquid inside that you can drink.

5. Place the seafood on a plate and decorate with herbs.

It is better to eat mussels warm, so the meat will be softer and more tender.

Those who want to learn how to cook frozen and peeled mussels should remember the insidiousness of shellfish. Properly cooked, they are very tasty, satisfying and healthy.

However, if you don’t know how to cook mussels at home and miss at least one, at first glance, not very important detail, the exquisite delicacy becomes simply inedible. How can you avoid turning delicious seafood into elastic, unchewable lumps of foul-smelling meat? Read tips on how to cook mussels and recipes for delicious dishes on tochka.net .