Over the years I have managed to convince any number of friends of the pleasure gained from picking mussels fresh from the seashore. Yes, so there is a little advance work necessary... rinsing out the sand, cleaning off the barnacles and tearing out the beards but it is worth every second. There have been occasional misfires with regard the accuracy and quality of the product and to Donal in particular I apologise! I have not got it wrong since.
From a very young age our parents encouraged Jenny and I to forage on the rocks and sand along the Belmullet peninsula for mussels, oysters, and cockles. Over time, with a little local advice, we tracked down great spots for gathering scallops - both king and queen. Mussels remain my personal favourite, and the dish above could not be more simple or tasty......once the grunt work is done first!
Dice up an onion, finely chop some garlic, and fry them off gently in a little oil for a minute or so in a big pot. Throw in your mussels, add a glass of white wine and stick a lid on top to steam them. After a couple of minutes shake the whole pot to rotate the shells and steam a little longer.
The muscles are done when they all start to slowly pop open. Serve straight away, with bread to mop up the juices, but be careful not to overdo it....the level of salt in the stock can have you drinking water all night long! You can add a little cream and simmer down the stock for ricer sauce if it takes your fancy.
Key Tip - a mussel is alive if.....when you lightly tap it, it seals itself shut. A mussel is cooked... when it opens during cooking. Do not try to force a cooked sealed mussel open - this is natures way of saying....'don't touch'!
