How to Cook Mussels: Easy Steamed Mussels Recipe With Garlic and Butter

A mussel is a bivalve mollusk of the Mytilidae family with a dark blue-black hinged shell that’s long and oval in shape. Though the majority of mussels enjoyed today are farmed, they’re often found along exposed shores of cold water in intertidal zones around the world, clinging to dock pilings and rocky outcrops in the water. Green mussels can be found in both Asia and New Zealand. Freshwater mussels, though similar in appearance to the conventional navy variety, are a slightly different species, and generally aren’t eaten.

The glossy heaps of shells you see on ice at grocery stores or seafood markets are live mussels—the best mussels are ones that have tightly shut shells. Any open mussels, or ones roughed up and missing bits of shell, should be discarded before cooking. (The general wisdom on how many mussels to buy usually comes down to a pound per person, but it’s entirely up to you, of course.)

Store mussels in the mesh bag they came in, wrapped in a damp towel in a bowl in the fridge. To clean them, simply scrub the shells under running water to remove any grit. If your mussels still have a little brown string lining the seam of their shell, they haven’t been fully debearded. Before cooking, you can easily strip it off with a pair of tweezers or your fingernails. If you miss a few, don’t fret: they’re not poisonous, just a bit chewy.