25 minutes ago, Thanks for the Crepes said:
Heidi, I've always heard that the "beard" is a natural part of the mussel and should not be cleaned off until immediately prior to cooking in order to maintain the best quality. Is this incorrect?
I love the green lip mussels. I can only find them frozen here, at the little fish monger, but they are really good. Come to think of it, they are beard free, but they're no longer alive and have been preserved by freezing.
Quoting the very reliable Melissa Clark "Len Currie, the general manager of Confederacy Cove Mussel Company, explained that farmed mussels are routinely cleaned and "debyssed" before being scooped into their plastic net bags. But doesn't that compromise their shelf life?" His response was "It does but only by a few hours or maybe a day. You can get a shelf life of ten days or more if you handle them carefully"..Quoting from the very excellent In the Kitchen With a Good Appetite
