Kitchen Secrets: How to Select Fresh Mussels
By: Sheri Wetherell
Published: August 7, 2014

Craving a scrumptious bowl of steamed mussels with white wine and garlic broth, or perhaps in a fragrant and slightly spicy coconut curry broth? Mussels are quite easy to cook, but do you know how to pick the best and freshest ones available? Chef Joe Rieke from Ballard Annex Oyster House, located in old town Ballard in Seattle, shows us how to select the perfect mussels. Watch the short video below and be sure to subscribe to Foodista’s Kitchen Secrets for more how-to cooking tips and tricks.

Dinner inspiration: Looking for an easy mussel recipe to serve for dinner tonight? Try this delicious Mussels and Clams in White Wine recipe here. It’s a great meal for any night of the week and takes just minutes to prepare. Serve with pasta or with a good crusty bread for dipping in the broth.
 

Video Transcription
	Hey my name is Joe Rieke. I’m one of the chefs here at the Ballard Annex Oyster house, located in old town Ballard in Seattle, Washington. Today we are going to talk about selecting mussels. Any mussels you select should have a nice seal, it shouldn't be open. Any open mussels are probably dead mussels. And you want to make sure that what they call the beard is always attached. That’s how the mussels breath when they are underwater. And if that is still attached it means that your mussel is most likely alive. The third thing you really want to look at is whether or not the mussel still has weight. It should feel like it has some density to it once its in your hand. Kind of like a weight of a rock of about a similar size. And that is how you should select a mussel. It should always be clean, kind of shiny and bright, beard attached, and heavy in the hand.
	The Ballard Annex Oyster House serves fresh seafood seven days a week—plenty of oysters and shellfish, whole Dungeness crab and Maine lobster, and house-made bisques, chowders, and soups made-to-order at the steam bar.
	Be sure to visit Ballard Annex Oyster House for some great seafood!