Blue Mussels, A Healthy Choice
Boasting an oceanic mildness with a hint of “mushroom” and a slightly chewy, tender texture, blue mussels find favor from chefs for a seafood paella, garlic butter linguine, or even a meal starter served with toasted crostini. No matter your serving choice, know that blue mussels date back to midden kitchens of the 1200s. The solid rock prehistoric cooking sights served well as an outdoor kitchen for seafood feasts.
Distinguishing a blue mussel from clams, oysters, scallops and other bivalves requires a keen eye. It’s quite simple. They exhibit an equivalve or identical shell halves with notched ridges that keep the shell tightly shut. Smooth to touch and purplish brown in color, mussels “stick out” compared to the other filter feeders. This type of seafood relies on floating food particles for energy, which helps clean the waters as they ingest the nutrients. The cleaner the water, the more beneficial a mussel is for your health. Selenium, ideal for cardiovascular health, and iron, a source in producing red blood cells lead the list of mussel’s health benefits.
