Need better mussel source

[Franci]

We love mussels, we eat them often. I come from a town in Italy that is renowned for mussels farming and in the last four years, living in the South of France, I could appreciate the small French mussels, like in my hometown, tiny but with a full, tender mollusk with a nice taste of sea.

We just moved back to te US at the beginning of September, we bought mussels three times. First time, I was a little skeptical to buy from supermarket, but we still bought from Fairway: the most insipid mussels ever, no taste. I do not add salt to mussels but wanted to add this time.

Then we bought from Fish Tales in Brooklyn. Same, plus some sand.

We bought from Fresh Direct. No good, little taste, some sand and beards but still slightly better. I believe they must clean them to death...in France they need a little bit of scrubbing but the are not as clean and you must pull the beard yourself. The mussels here, beside being tasteless, are also pretty lightweight.

Is it possible to buy decent mussels, that taste like sea and are not rubbery? What to look for? I had not had a chance to try clams but if I recall from past the situation is not much better.

Any advise is highly appreciated.

[weinoo]

I don't know where you're located in the States, Franci, but you mention Fairway so I'm assuming somewhere New York City-ish.

If so, the greenmarket farmers' markets will be your friend. I buy delicious clams at Union Square frequently, and I'm sure I have bought great mussels as well. And the scallops are simply awesome. A seafood vendor is there Wednesday, Friday and Saturday, and its (all the fish/shellfish) is the best stuff around. A seafood vendor is also at Grand Army Plaza and other Brooklyn locations. My favorite vendors are Pura Vida Seafood and Blue Moon Fish, both out of Long Island.

The mussels you got from Fairway are probably PEI farm-raised, and usually lacking flavor, though normally they're pretty damn clean.

Whole Foods could be another place to try, but I think they also carry PEIs.

[Franci]

Thanks Weino, I'm in Brooklyn but from where I am it's pretty quick to Union Square. I'll report back. I was disappointed with Fish Tales.

[weinoo]

Oh, buy your fish/seafood at Union Square. It's all wild and it's damn fresh. You might even run into varieties you've never seen in the south of France.

I just never think stores such as Fish Tales are able to maintain the same quality as the stuff you get pretty much directly from the fishermen at the greenmarkets.

[Shelby]

Franci,

Welcome to the U.S.! I have missed your posts on the dinner thread. Now I know why--because you've been busy moving!

I hope you're settling in nicely and I hope you're able to find some good mussels.

[Franci]

Franci,

Welcome to the U.S.! I have missed your posts on the dinner thread. Now I know why--because you've been busy moving!

I hope you're settling in nicely and I hope you're able to find some good mussels.

Shelby, you are so nice and thanks for the welcome.

[Steve R.]

I agree with Weinoo about Union Square probably being the best choice for you. However, a couple more ideas, since I live in Bklyn Heights and shop at Fairway/Fish Tales, so I'm probably close to you. First, the greenmarket by Bklyn Borough Hall sometimes has one of the seafood purveyors from Union Sq. Since it's walkable and open Wed/Sat, you might want to see if that'll work easier. Secondly, check with a couple of the local restaurants that serve mussels and whose owners live in the neighborhood... they'll know the differences and might be able to point you in the right direction. Chez Moi on Atlantic Ave comes to mind as one good choice... the owners are friendly and local. I'd also check with Noodle Pudding (dont let the name fool you, it's a "slow food" type Italian restaurant that's one of our favorite places to eat), all the way down Henry St almost to the Bklyn Bridge... the owner, Tony, is friendly and is fierce about buying fresh seafood, including a lot of local Long Island product, and may be helpful as well. My last thought is much more inconvenient but you might be interested enough to trek to the other end of Brooklyn and talk to the folks on the Sheepshead Bay boats that go out fishing every day. I'm pretty sure that the boats (that sell fish upon their daily returns, and take out day trippers) do not have any direct role with shellfish, but they are all very knowledgable about every aspect of the fishing/wholesaling/retailing industry related to seafood in the area. Besides, you'll get to see one of the "other sides" of Brooklyn.

If you want more info., feel free to contact me.

[Franci]

Steve, thank you! It's all very useful. You saved me a lot of effort sharing this good information.

I think good stuff it' s always to be found when you know where to look but, when you move, it can take a while to reestablish a connection with suppliers. We still have not come up with a shopping system that works for us.

I'll keep note of all the good advises here and report back.

[dcarch]

Welcome to NY from another New Yorker!

dcarch

[Bill Klapp]

Does anybody know if live mussels can be, and are, imported into the U.S.? My girlfriend imports oysters, smoked salmon and other fresh seafood into Italy for Eataly and the top Italian chefs, and I well understand why Franci misses the mussels, so to speak. The proportion of meat to shell is extraordinary, so that you get the tenderness and sweetness of smaller size, but without having to deal with penny-sized bits of meat for hours. My girlfriend imports those from the bay of Mont-St. Michel in season, which are far and away the best that I have ever eaten. I would have to think that if they could be flown in legally, Le Bernardin would be serving them.

And while I am at it, do most people stateside know of the legendary mussels with Roquefort of the French coast?

[weinoo]

I can buy PEI mussels here, so at least those are allowed. And all sorts of shellfish from all over is allowed, so I can't imagine why not but then again, the laws are always weird.

Of course, the biggest problem is invasive species and the way they get here. Regarding mussels, the zebra mussel established itself in the U.S. via ship ballast and is evidently quite a pain in the ass, crowding out native species and clogging pipes, etc.

Back to Franci's issue with mussels, most people that buy this stuff in the stores don't want to deal with sand, dirt, beards, etc. And they like the clean, innocuous taste of the PEI farmed, excuse me, cultured mussels. As a matter of fact, they're probably convinced they taste better than the wild product!

The result is a mussel renowned worldwide for its superior flavour and consistent high quality. This is assured by the industry’s advanced technology and through joint shellfish monitoring programs conducted by the provincial and federal governments. This commitment to quality ensures that PEI mussels remain a highly recognized product with a major share in the world market place.

Edited September 17, 2013 by weinoo (log)

[Steve R.]

Again, weinoo and I are in full agreement. My wife and I just spent a month living in Florence and the differences are evident (not our first trip so not a surprise). We already miss some of the things we began to take for granted. As weinoo basically said, although some of the differences can be traced to U.S. & local regulations, there is also the issue of many Americans (not food board folk of course ) wanting an antiseptic product and willing to sacrifice freshness and flavor to get it. After all, you can always add condiments like mustard, ketchup and mayo for the flavor.

However, all that being said, some careful shopping can yield a pretty good array of items and Brooklyn has a pretty wide spectrum, from old line Italian meat and cheese stores to newish, artisinal product (Saxleby cheese for example). As long as you remain skeptical of all old things being good and all sincere youngsters/hipsters producing the best new pickle, you can do fine around here.

To Franci: dont let the mussels experience completely color your view of Fairway. In my opinion (somewhat biased), the cheese and olive oil there are still great buys & worth going for. As is the view from the back coffee area.

Edited September 17, 2013 by Steve R. (log)

[weinoo]

To Franci: dont let the mussels experience completely color your view of Fairway. In my opinion (somewhat biased), the cheese and olive oil there are still great buys & worth going for. As is the view from the back coffee area.

And when they run specials, for example on beef, the prices are ridiculously low for good quality.