The mussel is a bivalve with high nutritional density, which contains a large number of nutrients in very few calories. Node high biological value proteins (those that contain all the essential amino acids) adds its content of omega-3, polyunsaturated fatty acids essential for cardiovascular health. Mussels, moreover, are molluscs of great anti-inflammatory power.
As for micronutrients, the food in question is a source of group B vitamins (B12, niacin and folate) and minerals such as selenium, zinc and ironthe latter is essential to combat iron deficiency anemia and to facilitate the transport of oxygen throughout the body.
Thus establishing the foundations of its healthy properties, below we speak to specialist Dory Solla, Manager of the Aginamar Galician Factory, to discover a good number of curiosities about this powerful Galician product.
Difference in the presentation of mussels on the market
To clarify this first doubt, which we have all had at some point, the Agguinamar specialist begins by explaining the difference between mesh mussels and those packaged in protective atmosphere.
“Aguinamar was born to offer seafood products that can be consumed in an easy and simple way, without spending too much time in the kitchen. To do this, it has a wide variety of mussels that are perfect to eat at any time. “From live mussels to cooked mussels.”
We can find both traditional live mussels and in mesh or wooden basketsavailable in fishmongers (the mussel has been washed, selected and packaged), as clean live, which has been purified, washed, selected and debyssed (removal of the ‘byssus’ or hair). “This clean, live mussel is packaged in a protective atmosphere that keeps it alive and in perfect quality condition, inside the packaging, for 8 days“, adds Dory.
Then there is the cooked or prepared mussel, which we can find in cocotte format, which goes through all the controls and is also sold already cooked, ready to be heated for two and a half minutes in the microwave before consumption.
1. How long do live, mesh or packaged mussels last?
Traditional live mussels are those that are found on the market in nets or baskets, and that have no expiration date. “We just have to be careful that they are alive at the time we are going to consume them, that they are not broken and that close your valves if we touch you“.
As for packaged clean live mussels, “we at Agguinamar give it a shelf life of 8 days. For refrigerated (cooked) processed mussels, we can have it from 28 to 45 daysand frozen for 12 to 18 months.”
2. Do shell adhesions affect mussel safety?
THE limestone incrustations that adhere to the shell of the mollusk (called ‘risco’ and ‘arneiron’) and that we can find on the market are absolutely ‘harmless’ and “do not alter in any way the flavor, quality and texture of the mussel found inside the mollusk”. shell.
In turn, the ‘byso’, the hair that shows Inside the mussel, there are natural filamentous fibers secreted by the molluscs to adhere to the rocks in the tidal zone. It is something natural, which can be eliminated when we eat them.
3. What is the best way to cook live mussels?
The recommendation of the expert consulted, Dory Solla, is “to cook the mussels in a pan until they reach the boiling point. We will know that the mussels are ready when the shells open. As a complement, we could add a touch of bay leaf and combine with albariño of the Rias Baixas”.
4. Can I freeze mussels?
Regarding the question we often ask ourselves, no, live mussels cannot and should not be frozen. This possibility only exists if they are already cooked, and it is advisable to take some of the cooking liquid with you. We can also freeze it if we have prepared it with sauce and remove it for consumption before three months have passed.
5. How long can clean, packaged live mussels last?
Live mussels, cleaned and packaged in a protective atmosphere, can be cooked and consumed taking into account the expiration dates indicated on the packaging and as long as the conservation conditions indicated in it.
6. Keys to knowing that the mussel is alive and fresh
It is important to cook and consume mussels as fresh as possible. For this it is essential that they smell like the sea and that the shell is closed or close when you give it a little tap as it indicates it is still alive.
We must throw away mussels that have broken shells. Although it doesn’t always mean that they will be bad, it is a risk that we should not take.
7. This is how you will tell males from females
As the specialist explains to us, “the female mussel is orangemore vivid and intense, while males have a whitish or cream color. Finding white meat does not mean it is of poorer quality, just that it is the male mussel.
8. Duration of mussel cultivation, until eating it
Mussel cultivation is a very long process, which begins in December with collecting the seed from the rocks. Later this seed is placed in the tray. In 4 or 6 months this rope unfolds and separates so that the mussel can spawn and grow. From the moment the mussel is caught on the rock until it is collected, it can happen from 18 to 24 months.
Mussel farming in Galicia takes place in several stages. The seed (mexilla) is obtained in thousands of native rafts (floating nurseries consisting of a structure made of eucalyptus wood) that populate the Galician Rías. The cheeks release the gametes into the sea where fertilization occurs, giving rise to larvae that will later settle on the rocks. From December to April, the beaters remove the seeds (1-2 centimeters) from these stones and take them to the trays to grow there, around the ropes.
After 4 or 6 months at sea, the mussel reaches 5 centimeters, which makes it necessary division because of the heavy weight. After a year, the mussel reaches commercial size.
9. When is the best time to find the meatiest mussel?
“Although we offer mussels of the best quality and with the greatest possible quantity of meat (meat) throughout the year, it should be noted that between the months July to February are best moments to consume mussels at the perfect point.”
10. Why are Galician mussels the best?
The water of Galician estuaries is, and never said better, the best breeding ground for mussels to multiply. “Almost a miracle if it weren’t for the fact that here holy water is what comes loaded with nutrients from the oceanmarked by the Gulf Stream, which fills the mouths of the Galician rivers with phytoplankton”, says Dory.
As if they were stone balconies open over the Atlantic, the game of tides and temperatures between salt waters and fresh waters becomes the perfect ecosystem so that the mussel, like many other shellfish, feels – never better said – like a fish in water.
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