Seasoned seafood cooks know that, despite their somewhat unattractive appearance inside their shells, mussels are a delicious ...

A seafood feast can be ruined by gritty mussels, but this fate is easily avoided with proper cleaning. Here's a trick to help ensure a grit-free experience.

Often coated in sand and debris, mussels must be rinsed before cooking. Learn the proper methods—plus tips for buying and storing—with this guide.

How to clean mussels: Before cooking, dump your mussels into a colander in the sink and run cold water over them. Today, most mussels are farm-raised, which means they’ll have less mud or ...

Before Cooking: Shells should close when tapped against the counter. That tells you mussels are alive — and they should be alive when you cook them. Rinse mussels briefly under cold water.

How to tell if your mussels are fresh Mussels need to be alive when you cook them because their meat begins to deteriorate very quickly. Thus, before cooking, you need to examine your mussels.

Closed, cooked mussels mean that the mussel had died before cooking which can be dangerous to eat. Cleaning mussels is an important step when preparing your dish.

If the mussel’s still alive, it will close its shell. If it doesn’t close, toss it. How to clean mussels Before cooking, dump your mussels into a colander in the sink and run cold water over them.

Add the mussels to a large bowl with cold water. Taking one at a time, scrub them well all over with a clean scrubbing brush, strip away any beard and place them in a colander. Repeat the process ...