Let us introduce the “Blue Mussel!”
You may have recently perused a menu and various chef specials highlighted blue mussels. Seafood paella with white gulf shrimp, saffron rice, garden-fresh bell peppers, and Prince Edward Island mussels will feed the entire family. Looks like the chef may have collected a huge mussel catch. Creamy white wine garlic linguine heads the pasta choices. Slightly chewy, but oceanic fresh with a brief mushroom like undertone describes the mussel’s taste. Sauces and spices coat the mussel with complementing flavors. Garlic butter makes the mussel more tender and nutty. White wine’s fruity, but oaky flavor finely splashes the mussel’s pallet with a salty then sweet oceanic blast. Harvested all along America’s northeastern coast and even into Central America, blue mussels win favor with chefs. Rhode Island receives the honors for USA’s ultimate blue mussel catch, while Canada’s Prince Edward Island leads the world with over 80% of cuisine’s mussels coming from this “mecca.” Even Chile harvests this bivalve mulluscs for seafood recipes.
Not only do blue mussels taste exquisite in a dish, but they have some “body friendly” nutrients. If you suffer from achy joints or a high blood pressure reading, the high levels of potassium found in mussels will help alleviate it. Bursting with protein, in fact, 20 grams per a 3 oz. serving, they give you energy through a bustling day. The mussels’ habitat helps in developing this healthy meat. Wading through intercoastal regions, an avid fisherman can find mussels sticking to rocks, docks and any plank within a water flowing current. Moving around with a small “foot” or growth from the shell and syphoning water throughout the shell, mussels search out salty water with a rush of fresh water mixing within it. Sweetness comes from a less saline area, but the oceanic blast in a mussel’s meat comes from the salt water. Both are necessary, along with the nourishment. Using their filters, they digest plankton and detritus in the water. With about 5 years in life-span, they develop a meat necessary for a well-rounded diet!
