Once upon a time I collected my mussels from underneath the pier in St Kilda. I wouldn’t dream of doing so now – who knows what’s in the water to pollute these little creatures? Nowadays I buy my mussels at the Queen Victoria Market. Fresh of course – and alive.
I look for mussels with shells that are tightly closed, but by the time I’ve taken them home there’s always one or two which have opened. These I discard.
First wash your mussels, one by one, under a cold tap. (You can catch the water in a bowl and use it for the garden).
Scrub the shells to remove any seaweed, dirt or other particles lodged on the shell. Pull out the stringy beard
Classic Steamed Mussels
In a large stock pot or deep frying pan pour about an inch of water, stock, wine or a combination of your choice. I like to use cider for a sweeter taste than white wine.
Add your aromatics now – a little chopped garlic, a handful of torn parsley or coriander and perhaps a tiny amount of finely chopped chili.
Warm up the liquid and pop in the mussels. Steam on a medium heat for 6-8 minutes. The mussels will have opened by now. If any mussel hasn’t opened by this time then throw it away.
Strain and reserve the liquid to make a butter and lemon sauce, or simply pour a little of the liquid over the serving bowl of mussels.
We used to catch the tram down to St Kilda and fill up a hessian bag or two with mussells.