Preparing boiled frozen mussels. How to cook frozen mussels

Seafood is very healthy and nutritious. By eating them 2-3 times a week, a person maintains the necessary balance of iodine in the body, which is so necessary in the winter season. Among other edible inhabitants of the sea, one can highlight mussels, which in terms of protein and vitamin content are in no way inferior to expensive shellfish. They also contain a minimal amount of calories (50kl per 100g of product), which will greatly please people watching their weight. You can prepare a wide variety of dishes from mussels, from simple appetizers to complex dishes.

How to choose frozen mussels

If you do not live near the sea, you will most often find mussels on sale in the supermarket, where they will be frozen. Frozen mussels can be peeled or in the shell, and they are sold either in packages or by weight.

When purchasing, be sure to consider the contents and the packaging itself if you are purchasing a packaged product. There should be no excess snow or ice inside, and the mussels themselves should be crumbly. If the shellfish are stuck together inside the package, this indicates that the product has already been subjected to the thawing-freezing process, possibly more than once. It is not considered fit for consumption.

Peeled frozen mussels are often sold lightly cooked, so pay attention to the color. If it is earthy gray, avoid such mussels.

Buying unpeeled shellfish is always a risky business, since you cannot guess the freshness of the product. When choosing, focus on the quality of the sinks; they should not have chips or cracks.

Defrosting rules

Another option: immerse frozen mussels in cold salted water. This method will help reduce time.

Under no circumstances use a microwave or hot water to thaw shellfish; this will only worsen their taste and beneficial properties.

Also, do not leave the product in direct sunlight for a long time, especially in the summer. Due to the high protein content and high temperature, the product can quickly deteriorate and acquire an unpleasant odor.

Cooking methods

Cooking mussels

Mussels, which were sold peeled by weight, do not need to be defrosted beforehand, but boiled immediately. To do this you will need a pan of water and salt. You should not take too much water; for 1 kilogram of mussels, 3-4 glasses of water and 2 tablespoons of salt are enough.

We set the water to boil and rinse the mussels under running cool water. After the water has boiled, add the shellfish and cook for no longer than 5 minutes to maintain softness.

If you think that water and salt are too boring and want to give the mussels a special taste, remove some of the water and instead add dry white wine or soy sauce. You can also add aromatic herbs to the broth and add half a lemon or lime.

Boiled mussels are used in various dishes, but most often in cold appetizers, canapés or salads. And from the broth you can cook an interesting soup or evaporate and thicken to obtain a sauce that can be used as a dressing for a salad or a main fish dish.

Delicious recipe: appetizer of boiled mussels

Ingredients:

mussels - 300 gr;
onion - 1 large head;
salt, red and black pepper and 1 teaspoon of sugar;
odorless vegetable oil - 1 dl;
lemon juice or wine vinegar.

Cut the onion into thin half rings and marinate in a mixture of salt, sugar, black pepper and lemon juice or vinegar. First we take 2 tablespoons, if vinegar, then 2 teaspoons. Leave for one and a half hours.

Mix boiled and cooled mussels with pickled onions, season with red pepper or thinly sliced fresh chili. Add salt to taste and vegetable oil. Mix and seal in a container with a lid. Place in the refrigerator for 6-8 hours.

Fried and stewed mussels

Fried or stewed mussels are typically used in warm salads or hot main courses. They are fried in vegetable oil or vegetable-butter, adding flavor to it with the help of sliced garlic.

Mussels are fried and stewed with vegetables, cereals and sauces. The clams in the shell are cooked in a pan with water and wine. They should open under the influence of steam. Those shells that do not open will have to be thrown away.

For stewing in the sauce, you can use any dressing, broth, wine, water, cream or tomato juice. Depending on the sauce, do not forget to add spices that will improve the taste of the dish.

A simple and delicious recipe for fried mussels

We will need:

mussels – 500 grams;
green beans – 300 grams;
carrots – 1 pc.;
sweet large paprika - 1-2 pcs.;
salt, pepper, vegetable oil, soy or oyster sauce and honey.

Cut the peppers and carrots into strips and fry in vegetable oil, add green beans.
When the vegetables are half cooked, you can add mussels, peeled or peeled.
Pour in the dressing, which consists of soy sauce (5 tablespoons) and honey (0.5 tablespoon).
Cover with a lid and simmer for 7 minutes.
Add salt and pepper to taste.
Serve as a separate dish or with a side dish of rice.

Baked mussels

Baked mussels in shells can rightfully be considered a gourmet dish. It looks presentable, the taste is no less bright, and the guests who come will appreciate it. Peeled clams are also very tasty baked as a julienne or topping for pizza, casserole or pie.

Baked mussels are usually already pre-boiled. You can sprinkle the shells with cheese and be sure to add a drop of lemon juice. Almost any sauce will go with baked mussels.

Julienne of shellfish

Ingredients:

mussels - 500 grams;
onions - 2 heads;
cream or sour cream 20%;
hard cheese.

Finely chop the onion and fry until transparent.
Add boiled mussels and pour in a glass of cream or half a glass of sour cream.
Salt and pepper to taste.
Simmer the mussels over low heat for no more than 3 minutes.
Place the mixture in cocotte bowls or in one large mold. Sprinkle thickly with grated hard cheese and place in an oven preheated to 160-180 degrees.
Bake until the cheese is golden brown.
Serve hot.

Be sure to include mussels in your diet and make it even tastier, more varied and healthier!

Frozen mussels cook very quickly, while they remain elastic and juicy. Before baking, boiling or frying, they should be slowly defrosted, this way they will retain all the beneficial substances. Be sure to rinse the clams thoroughly, otherwise you'll get gritty sand on your teeth.

How to choose frozen mussels

Frozen mussels are sold by weight or packaged in vacuum bags of various sizes. The shellfish should be covered with a thin layer of ice, the so-called “glaze” - it preserves the taste and beneficial properties of the mussels. When choosing a bag with freezing, carefully feel and shake it: the mussels should not freeze into a lump, and the snow should not crunch inside the bag. If these shortcomings are present, most likely the mussels have already been thawed.

Choose a product packaged in a bag with transparent “windows”, so you can evaluate the appearance of the mussels. If you plan to cook the product in shells, they must maintain their integrity.

Rules for cooking mussels

Thaw shellfish correctly. Place the bag in the refrigerator. Slow thawing will preserve the beneficial substances and taste of the product. After defrosting, the mussels should be cleaned. Rinse them well in several waters and drain in a colander.

The next stage is blanching. Mussels can be poured with boiling water for a few minutes or treated with steam. The latter method is preferable; the mussels are more flavorful. Place the clams on the steaming rack. Boil water in a saucepan, add an onion cut in half, allspice peas and a bay leaf. Bring the water to a boil and place a rack with the mussels in the pan. Steam them for 15-20 minutes, remove and cool.

You can add herbs or lemon zest to the blanching broth; this will give the mussels additional flavor nuances.

Cooled shellfish can be chopped and added to salads, sauces or main courses. After slicing, you should rinse them again; this will completely eliminate the possibility of foreign particles getting into the dish. Let the water drain and dry the mussels, scattering them on a flat plate.

Fried mussels: semi-finished product or independent dish

Try frying processed meat from fresh frozen mussels. Once fried, they can be eaten as a snack, for example, served on toast or in vol-au-vents. Mussels can be used as a preparation for other dishes, for example, sea cocktail in sauce. Another option is to serve the shellfish with fried potatoes and salad, which is preferred in France.

You will need: - 400 g of blanched mussels; - 1 large onion; - vegetable oil for frying; - salt; - freshly ground black pepper.

Chop the onion and fry it in heated vegetable oil until golden brown. Place the chopped mussels in the pan and, stirring, fry them for another 7-10 minutes. Season the dish with salt and freshly ground black pepper, and if desired, add some herbs - thyme, parsley or celery.

How to cook frozen mussels: recipe © Depositphotos

Those who want to learn how to cook frozen and peeled mussels should remember the insidiousness of shellfish. Properly cooked, they are very tasty, satisfying and healthy.

However, if you don’t know how to cook mussels at home and miss at least one, at first glance, not very important detail, the exquisite delicacy becomes simply inedible. How can you avoid turning delicious seafood into elastic, unchewable lumps of foul-smelling meat? Read tips on how to cook mussels and recipes for delicious dishes on tochka.net .

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How to cook peeled mussels - what you will need:

package of frozen mussels without shells,
large saucepan filled 2/3 with water
table salt - 3 tablespoons,
seasonings and spices - to taste.

How to cook peeled mussels:

It should be remembered that immobile mollusks, the class of which includes mussels, are the first orderlies of the sea. Throughout their lives, they filter sea water, passing it through themselves and purifying it. For this reason, it should not be surprising that shellfish cooked without pre-treatment can have an extremely unpleasant taste and smell.

The preparatory stage is very important. Before cooking mussels, throwing them into boiling water like ordinary dumplings, they need to be thoroughly rinsed in running water. Then you will be able to wash out almost all the substances that make the delicacy disgusting, and the portion of the remaining ones will not be so large as to harm your health and taste.
It is also important to remove the so-called beards. Some manufacturers remove them along with the shells, but in many cases these barbs remain. The mussels need them so that the soft body of the mollusk is securely attached to the shell, while controlling the movements of the valves. These beards are inedible, so they have nothing to do with the future dish.
It is worth fully observing the cooking technique. The fact is that many seafood (including shellfish) when overheated become similar in consistency to soft rubber. First you need to put water to boil, and only then act.
You need to add salt to the boiling water in the pan and add all the necessary spices that you like. By reducing the gas to a minimum, you can add mussels to slightly boiling water.
The cooking time for mussels is around four minutes. It all depends on the size of the shellfish: if they are large, then you can cook for five minutes, and if they are small, then for three. As soon as the required time has passed, the mussels should immediately be transferred to a separate plate. If you leave them in the pan for some reason (to keep them warm), the clams, again, will simply become rubbery.

Bon appetit!

Not everyone knows how to cook frozen and peeled mussels. Recipes for dishes with shellfish are easy to find in books and on the Internet, but if you are preparing them for the first time, you may spoil the delicacy. Without knowing the nuances, in inept hands, beautiful juicy and aromatic mussels turn into foul-smelling and tough pieces of meat. How to surprise your guests with a healthy seafood dish prepared according to all the rules? Health Popular will share some interesting frozen food recipes, so stay tuned.

Product selection

So, you have decided to treat your loved ones to seafood. First, listen to advice about choosing frozen shellfish at the store.

1. Buy large mussels. To do this, pay attention to the labeling, which indicates the ratio of the number of shellfish per kilogram of product. On the package it looks something like this - 42/1 or 54/1. The first number is the number of mussels per kilogram. The smaller it is, the larger the mollusks.

3. A quality product should not be defrosted multiple times. If the clams are a lump of ice, choose a different package.

Defrosting

Since mussels are sold frozen, they need to be thawed before cooking. How to do this correctly? Clams should melt slowly, so they should not be placed in warm water to speed up the process. The product is transferred from the freezer to the refrigerator and kept there until completely defrosted. Now we will introduce you to the rules for cooking mussels, the observance of which will help you end up with soft, juicy and tasty shellfish meat.

How to cook peeled mussels at home?

Cooking tips

Please note - peeled frozen mussels are those that have been removed from their shells, but their meat may still have “beards”. This part of the mollusk serves to attach to the shell; it is inedible. Before preparing seafood dishes, make sure that the beards are removed. The shellfish must be thoroughly washed by placing them in a colander and turning on high water pressure. This measure will get rid of grains of sand that sometimes remain in the meat. The most important thing to know about cooking mussels is that the longer they are cooked, the tougher they become. Like squid, these creatures are made of protein, which becomes tough when cooked or stewed for a long time. To maintain softness and juiciness, it is recommended to cook the mussels for no more than 3 minutes. To eliminate the unpleasant odor of shellfish, treat them with lemon juice before cooking. Once you get to know this product better, you will probably want to know the recipes for its preparation.

Homemade mussel recipes

Mussels are prepared in different ways - they are fried, boiled, stewed, baked, pickled. We will share with you recipes that do not have complex technology, but you will undoubtedly like the ready-made dishes.

Let's prepare peeled fried mussels with onions and spices

Let's prepare a set of products - 800 grams of peeled frozen shellfish, a large onion, 3 cloves of garlic, ground red pepper (a pinch), ground black pepper, salt, 60 grams of butter.

Thaw seafood, wash, dry, mix with lemon juice. After 5 minutes, dry the meat again with a napkin. Cut the onion into rings, preferably thinly. Heat the oil in a frying pan and add the onion there for frying. As soon as the rings change color to golden, add the mussels. Fry them, stirring occasionally, over high heat for 5 minutes. At the end, add garlic, passed through a press, spices, and salt. You can serve this nutritious and tasty dish with any vegetables or just like that.

Homemade marinated mussels

Do you want to surprise your guests with marinated seafood? Nothing could be simpler. And you won’t waste much time! Prepare 400 grams of shellfish (peeled), 3 tablespoons of soy sauce and vegetable oil, and a spoonful of vinegar. For spices, take garlic (3-4 cloves), a spoonful of a mixture of peppers, 3 bay leaves, half a teaspoon of salt, a spoonful of sugar and a few sprigs of fresh aromatic parsley.

After defrosting and washing the seafood, place them in boiling water for a minute and drain in a colander. Let's prepare the marinade. In a small enamel pan we put everything according to the list, except vinegar. Cut the garlic into slices. Pour 150 ml of water into a saucepan and bring to a boil. Let the marinade cool. When it becomes warm, add vinegar and stir. Pour the aromatic liquid over the clams and leave in the refrigerator for an hour. Before serving, chop the parsley and add to the marinade.

Baked mussels in cheese sauce

Seafood goes great with cheese. Let's cook them in the oven in a fragrant creamy cheese filling. You will need 500 grams of mussels, an onion, 2 processed cheese, a glass of heavy cream, 2 tablespoons of flour, the yolk of one egg, 100 grams of hard cheese, 2 garlic cloves, a mixture of peppers, salt.

Boil the clams for 1 minute and let drain. Mash the processed cheese in a bowl, pour in the cream, stir, add the yolk, spices, salt, and flour. Beat the mixture thoroughly with a whisk or blender. Cut the onion into rings and crush the garlic. Place seafood in a pan on greased baking paper, onion on top, pour sauce over everything, add garlic, add hard cheese on top, bake the dish until golden brown at 200 degrees.

Now you know recipes for how to cook mussels at home. How exactly you will do this is up to your taste. Guests and family members will appreciate your culinary talent, thanks to our selection.

The sea has fed man for thousands of years. It is a repository of food reserves, which are famous for their nutritional value - rare microelements, vitamins, amino acids, high-quality protein. In addition to fish, the seas and oceans are home to octopuses, crabs, squid, scallops and many other healthy seafood that are suitable for food, including mussels. Which have tender soft meat with a sweetish taste. When it is boiled, it gives off a pleasant aroma. Pilaf, soups, salads, and stews are prepared from mussel meat. It is salted, pickled, smoked, baked, fried. Mussels are served with pasta, cereals, potatoes, and vegetables. It should be remembered that it is advisable to consume cooked shellfish immediately; do not store them for more than twelve hours, otherwise poisoning is possible.

Mussels - food preparation

Before consumption, shellfish require some preparation. If you do not want to chew sand while eating, frozen mussels must be rinsed very thoroughly after defrosting.

If you are going to cook mussels in their shells, longer preparation will be required. First of all, it is necessary to visually inspect them and remove shellfish with damaged shells; they are not eaten. To open the valves, the mussels must be placed in a hot frying pan or lowered into boiling water for two minutes. Then the meat is removed from the shell, the growth (a bunch of algae that attaches the mollusks to the stones) is pulled out, and thoroughly washed to remove sand and pebbles.

Mussels - the best recipes

Recipe 1: Marinated mussels

One of the most delicious dishes that can be prepared from mussels is to simply marinate them. They turn out very tasty and cheaper than store bought ones. You can add them to a salad, put them on a piece of toast, and just eat them. We offer two cooking options. In the first case, the marinade is indicated without adding vinegar - with spices, white wine and lemon, in the second - with vinegar. And so, so delicious.

Ingredients (1 option). 0.5 kg mussels, vegetable oil 2-3 table. lie lemon (juice), 150 ml dry wine (white), 1 clove of garlic, 1 teaspoon each. lie honey and prepared mustard, salt, pepper, 1 bay leaf, several sprigs of fresh dill and cilantro.

If using frozen mussels, defrost.
Prepare a spiced sauce in which the mussels will be boiled. To do this, boil the wine, put garlic in it (no need to chop), bay leaf, pepper, lower the mussels and boil for about four minutes (measure the time from the moment of boiling). Drain in a colander.
Make the marinade. Finely chop the greens, add lemon juice, oil, pepper, mustard, salt. You can use any mustard, for example, French or spicy.

Transfer the still warm mussels, along with a bay leaf and a clove of garlic, into the marinade and let it sit in the refrigerator for about five hours. It is more convenient to marinate in a glass jar or deep bowl. By the way, you can marinate shrimp in the same way.

Ingredients (2nd option). 0.5 kg of mussels, half a glass of water, 1 table. spoon of table vinegar (9%), 1.5-2 table. lie sugar, salt to taste.

Thaw the shellfish. Salt the water, boil and boil the mussels in it for three to four minutes.
Make the marinade. It should taste sweet and sour. Dissolve salt and sugar in boiling water and add vinegar. Place mussels in hot marinade. In an hour they will be ready to eat. You can put them in jars and add a little vegetable oil.

Recipe 2: Baked mussels

Baked mussels are not only delicious, but also look beautiful, especially if they are baked and served directly in their shells. This dish is suitable for both a festive table and a romantic evening. We offer two cooking options: in the first option, seafood is baked in shells under a cheese crust, in the second, in a regular form with sauce.

Ingredients (1 option). 0.5 kg of mussels in shells, 2 tomatoes, 2 cloves of garlic, 50 g of butter, spices, 150 g of hard cheese.

Rinse the mussels well, peel the shells and boil for ten to fifteen minutes. You can add bay leaf, spices if desired, and salt to the water. During cooking, all the doors should open. Those that remain closed should not be eaten. Divide the cooled clams into halves and carefully separate the meat, which should be put back into the shells.

Grind the garlic and tomatoes using a grater or blender. Place a piece of butter and a spoonful of tomato mixture into each half of the meat, grate the cheese on top and bake for 20 minutes (180C).

Ingredients (2nd option). 0.5 kg mussels, peppercorns, hard cheese 100g. Sauce: soft processed cheese 100-150g, 200ml cream, 25g butter, 1 yolk, 1 table. spoon of flour, 3 cloves of garlic.

Defrost the mussels, boil for three minutes in salted water, adding peppercorns (5-6 pcs.).

Prepare the sauce. Chop the garlic and add the remaining ingredients for the sauce. It is better to mix with a whisk or blender so that there are no lumps.

Place the mussels in a frying pan or mold, pour over the sauce. Sprinkle with shredded cheese and bake for 20-25 minutes (200C).

Recipe 3: Fried mussels

Fried mussels are a simple dish to prepare, but delicious in taste. Both vegetable oil and melted butter will be used for frying. Nutritionists recommend butter, which contains at least 25% vegetable fats. But it must first be melted. Otherwise, harmful carcinogens may form in the pan when it burns.

Ingredients. 0.5 kg of mussels, vegetable oil, 2 onions, salt, ground hot pepper, seafood seasoning (or herbs de Provence).

Chop the onion into cubes and fry until golden. Add the mussels and fry, stirring constantly, for five to seven minutes over medium heat. Add salt, pepper, seasoning and remove from heat. Let it brew for a while, covered. Can be served with rice, potatoes or as a separate dish.

— You should eat shellfish caught between June and February, because... In spring they are not so tasty and fatty.

— Mussels should not be subjected to long-term heat treatment, otherwise they will be dry and tasteless. The rule of boiling squid for no more than three to five minutes applies to them.

— Fresh mussels should not have an unpleasant odor and have tightly closed flaps that cannot be opened by hand.