Mussels: A Fishmonger's Guide
Sweet, plump, and brilliant value: when they're in season, how to clean them, and how to cook the perfect pot
Also known as: Blue mussel, Common mussel
When Are Mussels In Season?
As a guideline, always follow the R in the month rule. Mussels are available all year round, but in the summer months the meat yield tends to be smaller while they spawn, and they struggle as the water temperature rises.
Please note that all wild-caught fish is always subject to availability, catches and weather conditions.
What Are Mussels?
Mussels (Mytilus edulis) are the blue-black shellfish that cluster on rocks, ropes, and harbour walls all around our coast. They’re filter feeders (they sit still and strain plankton from the water), which makes them one of the cleanest, greenest things you can eat from the sea. They need no feed, no chemicals, and they actually improve the water they grow in.
They’re also brilliant value. A big pot of moules feeds a table for the price of a couple of fillets, and there’s nothing quite like the smell of mussels steaming open in white wine and garlic.
Where Our Mussels Come From
Rope-grown beds in the South West and the Shetland Isles. Rope-grown mussels hang in the clean tidal water on suspended lines, never touching the seabed, which keeps them free of grit and gives sweet, plump meat. It’s a low-impact method that works with the sea rather than against it.
The Best Time to Buy Mussels
As a guideline, always follow the R in the month rule: September through April. Mussels are available all year round, but because of demand in the summer months the meat yield tends to be smaller while they spawn, and they struggle as the water temperature rises. As the water cools through autumn the meat fattens up, and cold-water winter mussels are plump, sweet, and at their best. Peak season is October to December.
How To Cook Mussels
Mussels cook in minutes, and the method barely changes.
Moules marinière: The classic. Sweat shallots and garlic in butter, add a glass of white wine, tip in the cleaned mussels, clamp on a lid, and steam for 3-4 minutes until they open. Finish with cream and parsley. Mop up the liquor with bread.
With chips: Moules-frites. The same pot of mussels, a bowl of fries, and a cold beer. Hard to beat.
In pasta: Steam the mussels open, pick most from their shells, and fold through linguine with the cooking liquor, chilli, and garlic.
Grilled: Open them on the barbecue and dress with garlic butter as they pop.
Buying Tips From The Counter
- Closed, or closing. Live mussels are shut tight, or close when tapped. Open ones that stay open are dead. Leave them.
- Smell the sea. Fresh mussels smell clean and briny, never of ammonia.
- Heavy shells. A good mussel feels full. Light, rattly shells may be empty.
- Buy more than you think. A lot of the weight is shell. Allow a generous 400-500g per person as a main.
Mussels From Parkstone Fisheries
In season, we have fresh rope-grown mussels on the counter, cleaned and ready for the pot. Ask Steve when the next lot is coming in. They go beautifully alongside our oysters and scallops for a shellfish spread. Free delivery across all BH postcodes, £40 minimum order.
From Our Counter
Buy Mussels From Parkstone Fisheries
Fresh, prepared to your specification, and delivered across all BH postcodes by refrigerated vehicle.
Mussels: Frequently Asked Questions
When are mussels in season?
The old rule holds: eat mussels in the months with an R, September through April. In the warmer summer months (May to August) mussels spawn, and the meat turns thin and milky. Through autumn and winter the cold water keeps them plump, sweet, and at their best. That's the time to fill a pot.
How do I clean mussels and which ones do I throw away?
Rinse them under cold water and pull off the 'beard', the wiry tuft poking from the shell. Scrub off any barnacles. Before cooking, tap any open mussels: if they close, they're alive and good; if they stay open, throw them out. After cooking, do the reverse: discard any that haven't opened. Those are the only two checks you need.
How long do fresh mussels keep?
Cook them the day you buy them if you can, or the next day at the latest. Keep them in the fridge in a bowl covered with a damp cloth, never sealed in a bag or sitting in water, which suffocates them. They're alive until you cook them, so they need to breathe.
Explore More Species
Oysters
Native UK oysters and Pacific rock oysters: when each is at its best, how to open them safely, and what to drink with them
Read guide →Scallops
Sweet, plump king scallops, hand-dived when we can get them, and how to sear them like a chef
Read guide →Crab
Brown crab caught by our local pot fishermen: sweet white meat, rich brown meat, available all year and at its best from September through to March
Read guide →Poole's Fishmonger Since the 1920s
Order Fresh Fish Today
Browse our shop online, call us on 01202 747661, or visit us at 12 Bournemouth Road, Poole.