How mussels are cooked in Greece: a few recipes to note

How to cook mussel meat

The main rule for preparing shellfish is short-term heat treatment. If you overcook tender mussel meat in boiling water or in a frying pan, it will become rubbery and lose its taste along with its beneficial substances. Therefore, the optimal cooking time is three to five minutes. In this case, the dietary product will retain all its beneficial properties.

Adding mussels to your diet?

• Yes 85%, 454 votes
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• No 15%, 79 votes

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Total votes: 533

09.10.2019

• Yes 85%, 454 votes
  454 votes 85%

  454 votes - 85% of all votes

• No 15%, 79 votes

  79 votes 15%

  79 votes - 15% of all votes

Total votes: 533

09.10.2019

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Benefits of mussels:

• mussel meat is enriched with amino acids (tryptophan, methionine) more than animal meat and fish;
• shellfish have a high content of zinc, which is beneficial for healthy hair, nails and skin;
• seafood is low-calorie and can be used during diet and fasting;
• blue clams do not contain cholesterol.

The range of dishes that can be made from mussels is so wide that even on a mono-diet you can eat varied.

Fact! 100 grams of mussel meat contains only 100 kcal.

Why can't you eat mussels?

The main danger is that mussels filter sea water, purifying it of contaminants, and trap harmful impurities inside the shell. One such mollusk is capable of passing up to 80 liters of liquid through itself, gradually accumulating the poison saxitoxin.

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How to cook frozen

Most often, mussels arrive on the shelves cleaned of shells, undergone primary heat treatment (so they are no longer blue, but pastel) and frozen. Before adding them to dishes, they need to be thawed gently - at room temperature, in the refrigerator or in cold water. After shellfish, be sure to rinse in water to get rid of sand. It is equally important to choose quality meat in the store.

Helpful Tips:

• do not buy mussels frozen in an ice glaze, on which cracks and snow growths are visible, this indicates re-freezing;
• choose large mollusks, large specimens are the most useful;
• pay attention to the color; for high-quality meat it is cream or light beige (as in the photo);
• ask for a quality certificate for the product (if live shells grew in polluted waters, they have absorbed dangerous chemical elements).

When choosing shellfish, make sure that the “houses” are intact and well closed. Don't pay much attention to the lower price. After all, from a kg of unpeeled shells, an average of 100 grams of meat is obtained.

Advice! You can correctly determine the size of mussels by the markings on the packaging. Fresh frozen shellfish are packaged in bags with fractions applied. This makes it clear how many pieces are in a kilogram; the smaller the first number, the larger the size of the individual.

Defrosting and cleaning rules

The frozen product is immersed in cold water and allowed to thaw. All actions must be carried out before cooking. Shellfish should not be stored or re-frozen.

The purified product is washed and cleaned. If the mussels are in shells, they are sorted, discarding damaged shells. Then immerse in boiling water for 2-3 minutes. During the short cooking time, the clams will open. This will wash the sand and remove other contaminants.

“Sea reptiles” in oil

Mussels in oil are a ready-made product that is sold in almost any chain. They can simply be eaten with a side dish:

• boiled and fried potatoes;
• rice;
• millet porridge;
• barley;
• baked vegetables.

Oiled clams are also good added to salads.
One of the simplest and fastest recipes will help you make a delicious dish in a matter of minutes. You will need:

• peeled mussels in oil – 100 g;
• fresh vegetables: tomato, cucumber, red onion – 1 piece each;
• lettuce leaves;
• pitted olives – 5-10 pieces;
• salt, ground black pepper, spices to taste;
• green onion feathers - several pieces.

From the specified amount of ingredients, two servings of salad are obtained, the nutritional value of which does not exceed 40 Kcal per 100 g, and the dish can be prepared in just ten minutes.

Step-by-step instruction:

1. Separate the lettuce leaves from the stem, rinse under running water, dry, and place on the bottom of a plate.
2. Wash and coarsely chop the cucumber and tomato, place on top of the salad bed.
3. Place the next layer of mussels, which must be carefully removed from the oil filling.
4. Sprinkle finely chopped red onion on top. It should be washed first, separating the desired part from the bulb (from a quarter to half of the fruit).
5. The top tier will be olives cut into rings.
6. Sprinkle the finished salad with spices, pour over shellfish oil, and garnish with green onions.

Advice! Mussel lovers don't have to spend money on ready-made clams in oil. You can buy frozen semi-finished products, boil for five minutes, cool and add vegetable oil and spices.

The best cooking recipes

Thawed shellfish are boiled, marinated, baked and fried. They serve as an ingredient in first and second courses, salads and casseroles.

It is enough to heat them for 3-5 minutes. To get rid of the strong smell of mud or fish from thawed shellfish, just sprinkle with lemon juice before starting cooking.

Fried mussels with onions and garlic

To quickly cook fried mussels, you will need:

• 500 g shellfish;
• 2 cloves of garlic;
• 1 large onion;
• 50 g natural butter;
• sea ​​salt;
• ground black pepper;
• basil, oregano, cilantro;
• a mixture of Italian herbs.

Frozen mussels can be sold in their shells or already peeled. First, the product must be given time to thaw. The mussels are then washed with running water and left to drain.

Pour water into a small saucepan. When it boils, add peppercorns, bay leaves, Provençal or Italian herbs. You can chop fresh basil, oregano or cilantro. The shellfish are immersed in boiling water for 3 minutes.

Peel the onion and garlic and finely chop it. Melt butter in a saucepan and fry vegetables in it. Then add the boiled shellfish. 2-3 minutes after frying, they can be removed from the heat. Sprinkle the dish with chopped herbs, cover with a lid and let it brew for 5 minutes.

Mussels in shells baked with cream cheese sauce

Clams can be baked in a cream and cheese sauce. Mussels without shells are served with a side dish, and shellfish are laid out on the shells in portions, garnished with lemon slices and sprinkled with herbs on top.

For the dish you will need:

• 500 g shellfish in shells;
• 50 g blue cheese or any soft varieties;
• 150-200 ml high fat cream;
• 1 tbsp. l. natural butter;
• 2 cloves of garlic;
• 1 lemon;
• 10 g flour;
• sea ​​salt, a mixture of peppers and Provençal herbs - to taste;
• 1 bunch of fresh basil.

Open the shell valves. Remove the clams and cut off the stem. Coarsely grate the cheese. Peel the garlic and finely chop it. In a heavy-bottomed saucepan, melt the butter and fry the garlic until golden brown. Then add spices and salt. Lastly, cream, cheese and a little flour are added to thicken the sauce. Simmer the mixture over low heat for 5 minutes.

Place the shells on a baking sheet. Place a clam in each. Pour the cream cheese sauce over the shells of the mussels. Bake in the oven for 15 minutes at +180°C. Serve the dish hot, sprinkle with lemon juice and garnish with basil sprigs.

Cooking shellfish in Belgian style

You can cook delicious seafood the Belgian way. For this purpose, wine is used, which will impart its taste and aroma to the finished product. For the dish you need to take:

• 200 g mussels;
• 350 ml white wine (can be table or semi-sweet);
• 100 g blue cheese;
• 300 ml low-fat cream, 10-20% is suitable;
• Provençal herbs, ground white pepper, salt;
• 1 tsp. Dijon mustard;
• 2-3 green onions.

The wine is poured into a small container and put on fire. When the alcohol boils, add Provençal herbs and, after 1 minute, add defrosted shellfish. Boil seafood in alcohol for 5 minutes, constantly stirring the contents of the dish.

Prepare the sauce separately. The cream is heated in a ladle. Add diced blue cheese, mustard, white pepper, chopped green onions and salt. Boil the sauce until it reaches the consistency of thick sour cream.

It is necessary to know how to properly eat mussels prepared in this way. Place the shellfish in a colander and allow the remaining wine to drain. Then they are laid out on a beautiful dish, pouring cream cheese sauce on top. Seafood is consumed with vegetables baked in the oven or grilled.

Julienne of shellfish

To prepare frozen mussels for the holiday table, you can opt for julienne. The dish is prepared quickly and easily. It will require:

• 250 g shellfish;
• 1 onion;
• 100 ml cream or 50 ml fat sour cream;
• 100 g hard cheese;
• 50 ml white table wine;
• salt, pepper and basil - to taste;
• 2 tbsp. l. olive oil;
• 2 packs of puff pastry baskets.

Peel the onions and chop finely. Thaw the mussels, boil them in lightly salted water and remove from the shells. For this dish, you can use already peeled mussels that have been heat-treated.

Heat oil in a frying pan. Fry the onion on it until golden brown. Add boiled mussels, salt, pepper and add finely chopped basil. Pour in the wine. Simmer for 3 minutes until the alcohol has completely evaporated. Add sour cream or cream. Simmer over low heat for another 3-4 minutes.

Finely grate the hard cheese. Place the julienne into baskets. Place cheese on top in a thick layer. Bake in the oven preheated to +180°C for 5-7 minutes. Serve the dish hot, garnished with basil leaves.

Mussels in tomato sauce

If you have mussels in the freezer, the following recipe will tell you how to cook frozen mussels quickly. It requires a minimum set of products and 15 minutes of free time.

You should prepare:

• 500 g shellfish;
• 2 tbsp. l. sunflower oil;
• 1 onion;
• 150 ml tomato sauce;
• 1 bay leaf;
• 2 cloves of garlic;
• 1 bunch of green parsley;
• pepper mixture;
• salt.

First you need to defrost and clean the mussels. Then they are immersed in boiling salted water with a bay leaf for 3 minutes.

The onion is peeled and cut into half rings. Garlic is passed through a press. Fry vegetables in vegetable oil. Clams and tomato sauce are also sent there. Simmer for 5 minutes. Finely chop the parsley and sprinkle on the finished dish.



Korean recipe

To prepare mussels in Korean, take:

• 0.5 kg of shellfish;
• 1 carrot;
• 1 lemon;
• 2-3 heads of onions;
• 150-180 ml soy sauce;
• a pinch of coriander, ground nutmeg, hot red pepper, black pepper and salt.

Thaw the shellfish, wash and boil for 3 minutes. Cut the onion into half rings, sprinkle with a little lemon juice and leave to marinate. Chop the carrots on a special grater.

Prepare the dressing. To do this, mix spices, salt, lemon juice and soy sauce. Heat high, but do not boil. Mix mussels with vegetables. Pour over the dressing and place in the refrigerator for an hour.

Mussels marinated in lemon juice for salad or appetizer

Marinated mussels can be used in seafood salads or as an appetizer. They will require:

• 200 g shellfish;
• 0.5 tbsp. l. 9% vinegar;
• 100 ml water;
• 0.5 tsp. salt;
• 0.5 tsp. Sahara;
• 3 cloves of garlic;
• half a lemon;
• 50 ml soy sauce;
• 1 tsp. olive oil;
• 1 bay leaf;
• 2-3 peas of allspice;
• parsley or cilantro.

Mussels are defrosted, washed, but not boiled. Place them on a paper towel to dry better. Mix lemon juice, soy sauce, pepper, bay leaf, salt, sugar, vinegar and olive oil in a small container. Pour in water and send it to the fire. When it boils, add mussels and boil for 5 minutes.

During this time, peel and finely chop the garlic. The greens are washed and chopped. Add to the marinade with shellfish removed from the heat. Leave for half an hour. The marinated product is ready to eat.

Mussels marinated in oil

There are recipes for preparing shellfish that make them an excellent snack for beer. Mussel meat marinated in oil acquires the necessary spiciness thanks to a large number of different spices.

For the snack you will need the following ingredients:

• 1 kg mussels;
• 50 ml extra virgin olive oil;
• 4 cloves of garlic;
• 800 ml water;
• 1 lemon;
• 2 tbsp. l. coarse sea salt;
• 2 tbsp. l. Sahara;
• 200 ml soy sauce;
• 8 pcs. carnations;
• 10 peas of allspice;
• 10 black peppercorns;
• 1 bunch of basil;
• 0.5 tsp. coriander;
• 3-4 bay leaves.

Frozen, peeled mussels are perfect for marinating. This product just needs to be given time to thaw and can be used immediately. After defrosting, the shellfish are washed with cold running water.

Heat olive oil in a saucepan. Chopped garlic is added to it. You need to wait until it releases its aroma. No frying required. Add boiling water to the oil. Add freshly squeezed juice of one lemon, salt, sugar and seasonings. Place the mussels into the boiling brine and let them boil for 1 minute.

The shellfish along with the marinade are poured into 0.5-liter jars. Add chopped basil on top. Cover the containers with lids, allow to cool and place in the refrigerator for 12-15 hours. Drink with beer or use as an ingredient for snacks and salads.

Creamy soup with mussels and shrimp

For 3 servings you should take:

• 400 g mussels;
• 400 g shrimp;
• 5-6 pcs. potatoes;
• 1.5 liters of water;
• 3 processed cheese;
• salt, pepper, rosemary.

Thaw seafood, wash, peel and cook for 5 minutes. Boil water, add salt and pepper and add diced potatoes. When it's ready, add the chopped cheeses to the pan. Cook until they are completely dissolved. Then add mussels and shrimp. Simmer the soup over low heat for 10 minutes. Serve with croutons, sprinkled with chopped herbs.

Pilaf with mussels

We take:

• 200 g mussels;
• 200 g rice;
• 400 ml broth or water;
• 1 onion;
• 1 carrot;
• 1 head of garlic;
• 100 ml white wine;
• 2 tbsp. l. vegetable oil;
• salt, pepper, cumin, ginger and paprika.

In a saucepan, fry spices, diced root vegetables and whole garlic cloves. Add mussels and wine. Cook for 5-7 minutes. Then add rice, stir and cook for another 2-3 minutes. Pour in water or broth and cook for 20 minutes.



Mussels fried with onions

An arbitrary number of mussels must be steamed for a quarter of an hour. You can use a double boiler. At this time, fry the onion in a frying pan in olive oil. Then cut the steamed meat and pour it into the pan, season with salt and pepper. After five minutes the dish can be served.

Another simple recipe for making delicious mussels.

What to cook from frozen mussels

Frozen mussels are sold in stores with or without shells. Unlike fresh ones, they have their own cooking rules. First of all, you need to remember that once you have thawed these seafood, you can no longer freeze them. Secondary freezing negatively affects the taste of the product.

Most often, “CATEGORY_NAME” is found in recipes with these five products:

The second important rule is proper defrosting. It is better to produce it in the refrigerator on the lowest shelf (or where the maximum temperature is kept). It is good to leave the mussels there overnight - during this time they will take on the desired condition.

The third rule is choosing a recipe for frozen mussels. It is advisable to take one in which the same product is prepared as you have. That is, if these are shellfish, take the appropriate recipe.

The good news for hasty housewives is this: if the mussels are cooked, they do not need to be defrosted at all. Their boiled meat will be an excellent basis for salads, cold appetizers, sauces, soups, and main courses. Frozen mussels should be cooked for no longer than five minutes. Otherwise the meat will become rubbery.

It is better to fry these products defrosted, so that there is no more liquid in the pan than necessary. But you can stew it just like that.

During processing at high temperatures, shellfish shells should open. If this does not happen, you can help them mechanically (bend the flaps with a knife) or throw them away.

The calorie content and mineral composition of frozen mussels remain essentially unchanged. Mussels are rich in vitamin B12, manganese, iron, phosphorus, sodium, zinc. They contain calcium, magnesium, copper, vitamins K, PP, E, A, and group B.

In Belgian

A European-style dish was previously considered the preserve of chefs. In fact, you can stew mussels in white wine in your own kitchen.

What is necessary:

• a bottle of white semi-sweet;
• half a kilo of frozen mussels;
• 0.6 liters of low-fat cream (during a strict diet, you can boil shellfish in milk);
• Dijon mustard (heaped spoon);
• mold cheese (blue) – 0.2 kg;
• salt, ground white pepper, leeks, herbs.

Cooking is divided into two stages: preparing the shellfish and creating the sauce. How to proceed:

1. Boil the wine over low heat, after a minute season with herbs and place the defrosted shellfish meat in the pan. Simmer, stirring constantly, for up to six minutes.
2. Mix the cream with mustard and onion in a saucepan and heat over low heat, without letting it boil. Add chopped cheese, season, stir while heating until the sauce reaches the consistency of sour cream.
3. Drain the mussels in a colander, place on a plate, pour over the sauce, and serve.

Note! Some chefs recommend adding finely chopped capers to the filling.

Ancient Greek literature

Mussels had all sorts of names in Ancient Hellas: sea mussels were called melanids, freshwater ones were called herambas. And also: scarlets, pinnas, conchs, tellins.

From one of their names - mytilos (μίτυλος) came their Latin name - mytilus. By the way, the name of the capital of the island of Lesvos, famous for its seafood, Mytilene, also comes from this name for mussels.

And the nickname “melanides” directly goes back to the ancient process of producing natural dyes from pigments obtained from mollusks, because in Greek “melani” means black paint or black color, let’s remember melancholy - “black bile”.

Perhaps the “crimson women” also got their name for the same reason. After all, one of the most expensive crimson-red pigments in ancient times, purple, was also extracted from mollusks.

The ability of bivalves to produce precious pearls was also known in the ancient world. And the jewelry material obtained from their shells was called mother of pearl - “giving birth to pearls.”

Baked mussels in cream

For this cooking option you will need:

• a couple of processed cheeses without additives;
• 250 grams of mussel meat;
• yolk of one egg;
• a spoonful of flour and starch;
• several cloves of garlic;
• a glass of cream;
• hard grated cheese;
• pepper and salt.

Cooking mussels:

1. Mash the cheese with a fork, mix with the yolk, flour, starch, chopped garlic to a smooth paste.
2. Pour cream into the mixture, season and stir.
3. Boil the meat for three minutes.
4. Line a baking container with foil or papyrus, lay out the meat, pour in the sauce, sprinkle with grated cheese and place in the oven to bake at 200 degrees until golden brown.

To enhance the creamy taste, it is recommended to sprinkle the dish with cheese again before serving (as in the photo).

Pickled

Store-bought shellfish meat does not necessarily need to be heat-treated. You can cook mussels cold at home.

What do you need:

• liter of clean water;
• bulb;
• hot pepper pod;
• salt;
• liquid smoke for aroma;
• half a kilo of mussel meat;
• head of garlic;
• spices.

How to make marinated mussels according to the recipe:

1. Boil the brine from water with the addition of a whole peeled onion and pepper, and salt. After a quarter of an hour of boiling, you need to add smoke and shellfish. Cook for three minutes.
2. In a cup, mix chopped garlic and spices to taste (example: dry dill and allspice). Place the seasoning in the bottom of the jar.
3. Place the shellfish meat in a jar, pour a glass of vegetable oil, seal and leave for 12 hours.

The resulting product can be served in its pure form or used in salads. Soy sauce complements the taste of seafood well.

How to choose the right product

Today, the price of mussels in cafes and restaurants is very high, but in a store this seafood can be bought much cheaper, but for this it is important to know how to choose it correctly, defrost it and cook it. About this right now.

How to choose the right shellfish meat:

1. When purchasing seafood, try to buy it frozen rather than fresh. Remember, fresh mussels are stored for no more than two hours.
2. When choosing a product, carefully inspect the shells; purchase only whole shells without chips.
3. Smell. It should be pleasant, sea, iodine. If the mussels smell unpleasant or suspicious, refuse to purchase; they may have already spoiled or were not stored correctly.
4. The shells should be tight and open with serious effort; if you were able to open it without difficulty, then the seafood is stale.
5. If you purchase peeled shellfish meat, it should be beautiful in appearance and elastic; dried or shriveled specimens will be stale, and possibly even spoiled and then frozen.
6. The color of mussel meat should be light, almost white. If you see a yellow product in front of you, this will indicate that it has already been defrosted and re-frozen several times.

In a slow cooker

Using a multicooker greatly simplifies the creation of many dishes. “Sea Reptiles” is no exception. In a multifunctional device, you can stew aromatic shellfish in tomato in just 25 minutes.

Ingredients:

• two ripe tomatoes;
• a glass of low-fat cream;
• 300 grams of shellfish meat;
• spices, olive oil.

Cooking in the “Baking” mode:

1. For a quarter of an hour, fry the meat of sea reptiles in oil with the multicooker lid open in the “Baking” mode.
2. Grind in a blender and add the tomato mass to the bowl, pour in the cream.
3. Close the lid of the device and cook until the end of the mode.

The resulting roast can be served with your favorite side dish.

Pasta with “sea reptiles”

Pasta fans will love pasta with clams. It cooks quickly and turns out very tasty.

What you will need:

• defrosted meat of mussels, shrimp, squid - 200 g each;
• butter – 100 g;
• garlic;
• half a kilo of pasta;
• half a glass of low-fat cream;
• two spoons of flour;
• salt, pepper, herbs.

Sequencing:

1. Pour water into the cooking vessel, let it boil, boil one by one (2-4 minutes each) and remove each type of seafood with a slotted spoon.
2. In another saucepan, cook the pasta until half cooked.
3. Melt the butter, fry the chopped garlic cloves, discard them after a couple of minutes when the aroma has transferred to the fat.
4. Pour pasta and seafood into the frying pan, season, stir, simmer for five minutes under the lid.
5. Mix half a glass of shellfish broth with cream, add salt, cook over low heat with the addition of flour, stirring constantly.
6. Pour sauce over spaghetti and clams before serving. Decorate with greens.

Fact! In order not to add calories to the dish, it is better to use cream with a minimum fat content.

Defrosting and cleaning mussels: doing it right

Before cooking, mussels need to be defrosted; there are several ways to do this.

Method one: place frozen mussels in the bottom drawer of the refrigerator, intended for chilled meat, and wait for natural defrosting. This method is the most gentle on the product, but the longest in time.

Method two: put frozen mussels in a pan with cool salted water and leave there for one hour, then rinse thoroughly in running water and cook according to the recipe.

If you purchased unpeeled mussels, you should clean them after defrosting. If there are growths, tendrils and other unsightly things on the sink, they need to be removed. Afterwards, rinse the sinks thoroughly in clean water to remove any sand that may remain inside.

Cleaned and washed mussels are placed in boiling salted water. Almost all classic recipes for preparing seafood recommend using sea salt, apparently as a tribute to tradition; in the absence of it, you can use ordinary table salt. You need to cook until the shells open, usually this takes from 5 to 8 minutes.

The opened shells are laid out on a plate and the tender pulp is easily removed. Shells that still do not open after cooking will have to be thrown away.

It is worth noting that mussel meat may differ in color: yellowish, creamy or bright orange colors indicate the freshness of the product, while shellfish with a dark gray tint should not be eaten; most likely you have come across a spoiled or old specimen.

If your frozen mussels were sold peeled, after defrosting, all you have to do is rinse them thoroughly in cool water and boil them. To do this, you can use either plain salted water or aromatic broth, which will highlight the exquisite taste of your delicacy.

For the broth you will need 250 ml of dry white wine, the juice of half a lemon or lime, and aromatic herbs to your taste. Prepared shellfish are dipped into boiling broth; they should be boiled for no longer than five minutes, otherwise the meat becomes tough, losing its delicate consistency.

Rice with mussels in creamy garlic sauce

You can make a dish for two in half an hour.

Product composition:

• mix of different varieties of rice – 0.1 kg;
• shellfish meat – 0.15 kg;
• 20 grams each of butter and cheese;
• half a glass of cream;
• garlic, salt, herbs to taste;
• spoon of flour.

Recipe:

1. Boil the rice while the mussels defrost.
2. Melt the fat in a saucepan, fry and discard the grated garlic, add the mussels and fry for five minutes, covered.
3. Pour the cream into the bowl, season, stir and after a minute remove from the heat.
4. Mix mussels with rice, pour the mixture into molds, sprinkle with cheese and place in the oven for 10 minutes.

Note! To reduce calories, you can serve rice with mussels without baking them with cheese.

An exquisite delicacy for health and benefit

Along with such popular seafood as fish meat, shrimp and crabs, shellfish are included in the list of the healthiest food products and are recognized as dietary food by specialists in proper and healthy nutrition around the world.

Modern nutritionists often use a conditional division of foods into complete and incomplete protein. A food product that contains the entire set of amino acids that are essential for the human body is called a complete protein.

A product that contains only part of the essential amino acids is considered an incomplete protein. Mussels and their habitat neighbors are complete protein foods. At the same time, shellfish have a fairly low calorie content in comparison with such protein sources as beef, chicken and sea fish, and therefore are recommended as a dietary dish for those who want to lose weight without compromising their health.

Comparative characteristics of these products are given in the table.

Table 1. Comparison of the energy value of products - sources of animal protein.

In addition to its exceptional nutritional value, mussel meat includes B vitamins, and the content of vitamin B12 in 100 grams of shellfish meat exceeds the daily norm three times, vitamins A, C, E, D3, as well as nicotinic acid PP.

Mussels are rich in sodium, phosphorus and choline, their consumption has a positive effect on the functioning of the thyroid gland, and due to the increased amount of selenium, these bivalves are considered a natural antioxidant and immunostimulant.

Salad "Media"

Some mussel dishes will appeal even to those who are indifferent to seafood and even have a dislike for it. A good example is the “Mediyny” salad - a marine variation of everyone’s favorite “Olivier” and “Stolichny”. The recipe is variable, which means it will suit almost everyone. From the specified amount of ingredients you will get four full servings.

Components:

• boiled mussels or in marinade – 250 g;
• a can of green peas;
• leaves of Chinese cabbage or green salad – 100 g;
• two hard-boiled chicken eggs;
• small onion;
• sour cream and mustard sauce for dressing;
• greens to taste.

It will take no more than half an hour to prepare the products, including boiling the eggs; you can make a salad from ready-made ingredients in a quarter of an hour.

How to do:

1. Place the mussels in a colander, drain the juice from the peas, and chop the green leaves.
2. Chop the boiled eggs, onions and herbs.
3. Mix all ingredients except clams.
4. Prepare a sauce from sour cream and mustard, season the salad, add spices, stir.
5. Place mussels on top.

Note! “Media” salad with mussels can be made lean by removing eggs from the recipe and replacing the dressing with olive oil.

Mediterranean diet

For the inhabitants of the Mediterranean, and especially for the Greeks, seafood occupied one of the main places in the daily diet, and first of all these were shellfish - oysters, scallops and, of course, mussels.

There is a lot of evidence of this in ancient Greek literature. For example, Athenaeus mentions mussels in his famous “Feast of the Wise,” while referring to the equally famous “Delicacies” of Archestratus - one of the first cookbooks in history, more than half of the recipes of which contained seafood dishes in one form or another.

Aristotle’s scientific treatise “Ichthyology” is based on descriptions of marine animals from this book. The same Aristotle in the History of Animals, who gave the first scientific description of the then known fauna, classified mussels into the category of armored mollusks, but according to the modern classification they are called bivalves.

Julien

To prepare three servings of snacks you will need:

• 200 grams of fresh champignons;
• 100 grams of fresh frozen mussels and shrimp;
• small onion;
• 100 grams of sour cream and cheese;
• salt and pepper to taste;
• butter for frying.

Cooking julienne:

1. Melt the butter, fry the chopped onion, add sliced ​​mushrooms, cook until excess moisture evaporates.
2. Add seafood, salt and pepper, fry for three minutes.
3. Stir in sour cream and heat.
4. Transfer the mixture into cocotte bowls, sprinkle with cheese, and bake until golden brown.

The hot mass is served in portioned molds.

Snack for foam

Fans of a foamy drink will appreciate the appetizer of fried mussels. This quick dish with a delicious cheese crust will bring a lot of pleasure.

What you will need:

• 100 g butter;
• grated garlic;
• frozen mussels;
• hard cheese.

Method of preparing the snack:

1. Melt the butter, fry the grated garlic, after a couple of minutes remove the garlic with a slotted spoon.
2. Immerse the mussels, season with spices, fry over high heat for two to three minutes, stirring constantly.
3. Add the grated cheese to the mussels, stir for half a minute or a minute.
4. Turn off the burner.

Cheese clams go well with any type of foamy drink.

"Sea" scrambled eggs

Even a familiar breakfast dish can be made Mediterranean and given a new flavor by adding mussels and feta. To fry eggs for two, you need to take:

• four chicken eggs;
• small onion;
• peeled mussels – 150 gr;
• salt, spices;
• 60 g feta;
• oil.

Recipe:

1. Melt the butter, fry the finely chopped onion, add the mussels and leave for another couple of minutes.
2. Beat in the eggs, season, sprinkle with feta.
3. Fry eggs until desired consistency.

Scrambled eggs with “sea creatures” at the beginning of the day can energize you and set you up for good things.

Fact! 100 grams of such scrambled eggs contain 427 kcal, which is acceptable for a morning meal.

Beneficial features

The richness of the taste of mussels is noted by many ancient authors, which indicates their wide distribution in the gastronomic set of the inhabitants of the Ancient Mediterranean.

Ancient books note the differences in taste and quality of these seafood caught in different parts of the Mediterranean. Their habits and distribution areas were so well studied and described, and their fishing was so accessible that even ancient Greek boys did it, then selling their catch to traders in the market.

The beneficial qualities of these mollusks were no less valued by ancient writers and scientists. For example, in a treatise on health by the Carysto author Diocles, the extraordinary healing properties of mussels for digestion and kidneys are noted.

These judgments of ancient authors are confirmed by research by modern medical specialists and nutritionists.

With a very low calorie content of 75 kKal, they contain in 100 g:

• fats - 2 gr.;
• carbohydrates - 3.4 g;
• proteins - 11.7 g;
• calcium mineral salts - 88 mg;
• phosphorus - 236 mg;
• iron - 5.8 mg.

And the rich content of vitamins D, E and group B, as well as unsaturated fatty acids of the Omega-3 group, determines their antioxidant and antitumor effects, a positive effect on the blood circulation and immunity.

However, excessive consumption of mussels can also cause harm in the form of allergic reactions and digestive disorders.
They are contraindicated for patients suffering from blood diseases such as gout, poor blood clotting.
How to cook mussels? Many methods were described back in ancient times. The simplest one: grilling was mentioned by Aristophanes in the comedy “Women of Babylon”: “...Look, how their mouths were gaping - like mussels on coals...”.

And the famous ancient Roman gourmet Apicius Marcus Gabius in his cookbook “On the Art of Cooking” gave the following recipe:

• leek, finely chopped;
• cumin;
• Mediterranean savory (a relative of thyme);
• passito - Italian raisin wine;
• dry grape wine.

Make a sauce from these ingredients and cook mussels in it.