Looking for some advice on preparing some local marsh mussels.
After taking them out of the mud, do you put them in something and hang them of a dock to let them filter cleaner water for a day or two, or do you just clean them really well like you would oysters?
Any other suggestions, prep, etc?
thx
2016 Boston Whaler 230 Vantage w/300 Merc Verado
I think they are seasonal harvest like clams and oysters, but would like to know for sure. Ive heard they are and they aren’t. They usually have no more dirtiness than our oysters, do you need to purge local oysters? I just rense them real good in the salt water and get them as clean as i can and they are good. Its not good to rense them in city water if you dont plan to eat them right away. The big clams can hold some dirt though and i do recommend cleaning or purging them for best taste. They cook really fast and arent nearly as good under or overcooked and they are also good raw. Mussels in a garlic butter/wine base with some good bread is my favorite way if im getting fancy with it. I usualy just steam everything together. Oysters and clams in first and then add mussels when the rest are almost done because they cook faster.
From what I’ve read from the big heads at those fancy universities, the water closest to the surface has the most pollutants ie oil, chemicals, blah blah from runoff. So if hanging of the dock, maybe hang low. When Ive eaten them we did not purge and I’m not sure I would have known the difference.
40inchreds - You’re right, cooking correctly is essential. Also, the garlic butter/wine base with bread is #1.
Key West 1720 - Charleston
Pathfinder 2200 - Savannah
i pick mine from high-energy areas near inlets (like the point of Cole creek @ folly river) where they get flushed more frequently and with cleaner water than a lot of the high marsh ones. these are usually gritty because of that, so i purge them in a croaker sack or milk crate for a couple days off a dock.
and yes, they are regulated along with other mollusks for season and grounds:
I always hang them in a sack off the side of the boat for the day after collecting them. Then I put them along with clams and Oysters in a five gallon bucket with fresh seawater at days end. The next morning I dump out the seawater and the shellfish are ready for use. You will be surprised at all the crap in the water you just poured out!
I also like Mussels with butter, wine, garlic and lemon juice!
New Smyrna Beach, FL
Are you/we talking about the big mussels that poke out of the mud in the marsh… about 4 to 6 inches long, usually 4 or more together? I’ve seen them and wondered if they were edible. Same ones right?
Capt. Garry Coats
Folly Beach & CHS
@DolphinChartersSC
The Blue Mussel is usually what people are looking for; not the Ribbed Mussel. Both are efible.
https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Mytilus_edulis/
New Smyrna Beach, FL
While that is true for store bought mussels or picking them off rocks in Maine, it’s not particularly germane to this discussion as blue mussels do not grow intertidally in S.C.
School is in session,haha,that barbawang is like a scientist.Do you think it is safe to gather clams and oysters at the beginning of the season before the water cools down and what about the oysters that are higher up on the bank.Is it safer to get the ones that stay under water most or all the time?Tia
Ha, the kids were just asking when we could eat oysters again. I won’t speak to safety, but I do see DHEC out there testing water quality all the time and I think they do a great job keeping it safe. 800-285-1618 is their line for a pre-recorded message about any closures by county
Big singles from down the bank, under 65 degrees, and no recent significant rainfall is how I do. I have the luxury of being picky about my seafood living in the lowcountry!