The Field Guideby Moss & MarrowThe Field Guideby Moss & Marrow
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Also called zeeuwse mosselen, mossel.
In the Netherlands, mussels are in season July to April, at their best in September, October and November. Mussels are in season now, in November, and this is the peak.
Dutch mussels come on sale in July, on average from mid-July, and the season runs until about April. They are fullest from September to November. Spring is spawning time, when the meat is thin.
Closed shells, or shells that close when tapped, and a sea smell. Bottom-cultured Zeeland mussels are the main season; rope-grown ones arrive a few weeks earlier.
Vitamin B12 in very large amounts, iron, zinc, selenium, iodine and omega-3 (EPA and DHA); among the most nutrient-dense foods per calorie.
To get the most: Steam just until they open, four to five minutes; the B vitamins and omega-3 survive, and the cooking liquor holds minerals and iodine, so use it.
On our nutrient density chart, a normal serving of mussels (150 g) gives 15 times a day's vitamin B12 and 2 times a day's selenium, counting what your body absorbs. That puts them in the top 5% of the 244 foods we scored.
Content per NEVO, the Dutch food composition database. This describes what the food contains, not what it does for you.
Rinse, discard any that stay open, and steam for four to five minutes in a splash of liquid until they open. Freeze the strained liquor for a fish stock.
Strain and keep the cooking liquor for a fish soup or stock. Shells go on the compost or crushed on the garden path.
8 producers in The Field Guide sell mussels, each checked against our inclusion criteria and listed by province.
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