I am sure you are right - if only I knew what on earth you were talking about

Popular Belgian dish; served on crushed ice with mustard on the side

If it lives in the sea i will eat it. Just yesterday i had a huge seafood platter. Clams, oysters, mussels, cockles, prawns, lobster, crab and a bunch of other unknown aquatic creatures.

Of course where i come from, lamb brains are considered a delicacy. Mmmm im getting hungry now...

Mussels, crunchy on the outside soft and chewy inside.

So are Tortoises

Anything?

Really! We lived there for over 13 years and ate in loads of fish/seafood restaurants and didn't see this popular dish.

The cooked version on the other hand was available in abundance with a vast choice of sauces. Didn't fancy them when we first mooved there but was converted after a while. They are delicious when easten at the right time of year,cooked properly ina nice sauce.

Well if its on the table...

Maybe confusing them with this:



..... muscles from Brussels - raw talent(?)

DB, it's time for some soul searching. You have gone against the will of the Lord.

This from Leviticus 11: 9-12

9 These shall ye eat of all that are in the waters: whatsoever hath fins and scales in the waters, in the seas, and in the rivers, them shall ye eat.
10 And all that have not fins and scales in the seas, and in the rivers, of all that move in the waters, and of any living thing which is in the waters, they shall be an abomination unto you:
11 They shall be even an abomination unto you; ye shall not eat of their flesh, but ye shall have their carcases in abomination.
12 Whatsoever hath no fins nor scales in the waters, that shall be an abomination unto you.




Isn't that the capital of Yugoslavia?

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Dougal's Breakfast, indeed this is a tricky one. I personally avoid any seafood in this country. I come from an island country where fish is fresh - mussels are delicious when fresh and prepared correctly. In CH, I stick to eating fresh, local trout and the like.

If your life depends on the consumption of these little beasties, here are some tips on preparing them so that they don't resemble gumboots ('wellingtons' for you lot? ):

If either fresh or pre cooked, avoid cooking them too much. With pre-cooked ones you have to be particularly careful. Edit: I'm assuming they don't come in their shells here by the way. If so, follow Crumbs' nice method on the previous page

Gently caramelize a small, very finely chopped (1-2 square-mm) onion in butter, salt + pepper to taste.

At the last minute add a clove of minced garlic, stir 10 secs or so and splash in a good glug of white wine. Stir briefly until it stops sizzling hard and add cream (50% wine + 50% cream or so depending on your taste). Taste test to see if more S+P is needed. Leave sauce to simmer and reduce.

In a fresh pan (or the same one without the onions in) add a good knob of butter and a drizzle of canola or other mild oil. (Have another clove of garlic ready to crush in). when the pan is so hot that a flick of water sizzles really well, put the mussels in and sear them, quickly crush the garlic in, and as soon as they're just tender, GET THEM OUT! Too long and they go rubbery. Also make sure that your pan is big enough (or the number of mussels small enough) that they don't turn to mussel stew. They MUST sear gently

Add to creamy sauce, taste test to add S+P if required asnd serve immediately on pasta.

Another alternative?

Leave them in a half shell, squeeze a bit of lime juice mixed with chili and garlic and put under a hot grill until tender. Serve with rocket, chopped fried bacon, and fresh orange flesh salad with an OJ dressing.

Or just buy them marinaded in vinegar fom the supermarket like I do back home

Hope it goes/went? well. (Sorry I didn't get a chance to read the thread yet

Puddy

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I didn't lose my mind. It was mine to give away - Robbie Williams

I will let you know what Woli says at 3:56am tomorrow.

I would eat Chilli mussels (like I can get in Freo, or Scarborough Beach back home) ev-er-y day. In fact I could go any seafood you can crack out of a shell, any seafood period.
God I miss the beach.

The Oaks Hotel
Neutral Bay
North Sydney
Australia

Best Mussels I've ever had, and I didn't even know I liked mussels.

I'm not keen on those sorts of seafood but shrimp, lobster, crabs, the ones that skitter around and swim sure thing though. (Particularly fond of Dungeness crab )

That guide regarding months with / without R thing, I thought (likely incorrectly?) had to do with the warmth of the sea?

Bad mussels in mid-May from the Migros?! No wai! I'd so munch on a juicy dolphin steak if the stigma went away and they were bred for it (so, no The Cove-style slaughter). The mercury thing is kind of an annoyance, but reportedly exaggerated and shouldn't be a problem in small quantities.

Whatever animals are acceptable to eat is mainly a question of conditioning. I don't see why dolphins are considered untouchable in this regard. Americans find Europeans horrible people for eating horse, you know.

And I mostly get a chuckle out of seeing the look on people's faces when they try to bring up an "extreme" example of moral animal rights outrage and ask if someone would eat dolphin, and then hear me say, "I totally would."

Despite living very close, I have to admit to having never tried Dungeness Crab. They may like the warm water from the nuclear power station outfall.

The sea is usually at its warmest later than this. It heats up during the summer and is often warmest around September. As mussels live between the tidal ranges, I suspect that the summer sun would affect them more that the sea temperature.

A trip to the southern hemisphere means you can munch on mussels the whole year through.
Sounds like a plan!

When it comes to Japanese dolphin steak, the mercury would at the moment be my least worry. They say the 2011 catch will be glowing lime green and can cook itself.