How to Clean Mussels
Before you cook mussels, you want to rinse the shells in cool water to remove any sand (otherwise, it ends up on your plate). This is a good time to discard any mussels that remain open or don’t shut. These are dead.
Lastly, you want to remove any thread-like ‘beard’ protruding from the shell. Grab hold and rip it out. Some are in there tight so give it a good tug. Not all mussels will have them so skip any that don’t.
How to Steam Mussels in Beer (Or Anything)
I’ll break it down in three easy steps.
Rinse mussels under cool water, removing beards and discarding any that do not fully shut on their own (these are dead).
Place in a covered saucepan with beer, garlic, onion, salt, crushed red pepper flakes, butter, and a pinch of paprika (If adding bacon or pancetta we’ll simmer this first to fully cook).
Cover and steam for 5 minutes until mussel shells open up.
Easy and delicious. The mussels will pick up the subtle flavors of beer, garlic, bacon and spices by steaming and soaking in the beer broth. We also like to serve up with some buttered, toasted french bread. Dipping in the garlicky broth at the end is HEAVEN.
What Beer Should I Use?
You can use any beer you like. The beer flavor is subtle, however a nice blonde, wheat, or pale ale is a great place to start. If you like hoppy beers, I recommend trying a New England style IPA. It will give you more citrusy, juicy flavor. If all else fails, sure, throw in a Bud Light.
If you don’t like beer you can substitute with water or even white wine.
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