Tips for Making Steamed Mussels

1. Buy mussels from a trusted seafood counter. We only buy our mussels from Whole Foods or Balduccis, we have tried other stores, but just don’t find the quality to be as high. The nice thing about mussels is the price, even at a gourmet store you will only be paying about $5 to $6 a pound.
2. Once you get home from the store, make sure the mussels are unwrapped and stored in a cool area (remember mussels are alive before you cook them, if you do not store them correctly, they could die before you get the chance to make the recipe)
3. Look through the mussels, if you find any cracked, chipped or open mussels, discard them.
4. About 20 minutes before steaming, place the mussels in a bowl full of fresh water, as the mussels breathe they will expel any sand or grit that is stored inside the shells.
5. Most mussels will have what is known as “the beard,” this is just fibers that emerge from the shell of the mussel. To remove the beard, hold the mussel in one hand with a dry towel and pull the beard with your other hand towards the hinge end of the mussel, sometimes it can be a bit tricky to remove, but will come out.
6. Take the mussels out of the first bowl of water and place them into another bowl full of clean cold water. Use a firm brush to remove additional sand and any barnacles then rinse them under cold water, dry then set aside ready to steam.
7. After steaming, if any of the steamed mussels have not opened, discard them.