What to Do With a Tin of Mussels
What to Do With a Tin of Mussels
Tinned mussels reward good sourcing more than almost any other conserva. The gap between a cheap tin of rubbery shellfish and a plump Galician mussel — packed the same day it was harvested in the rías of northern Spain — is wider here than in almost any other category. Get the right tin and the five preparations below follow naturally. The wrong tin and none of them will be worth making.
Galician mussels are the benchmark: harvested from rope-suspended beds in the nutrient-rich estuaries of the Galician coast, they are larger, meatier, and more complex in flavour than mussels from anywhere else. Look for mussels in escabeche — a lightly spiced vinegar marinade — or packed in brine. Both suit different preparations.
Browse the full mussels collection to see what's currently in.
1. As they are
The first preparation is no preparation at all. A great tin of Galician mussels, opened at the table with good bread and unsalted butter alongside, is not a shortcut — it is the point. The escabeche they arrive packed in is part of the dish: tip it into a small bowl for dipping, or pour it directly over the mussels once the tin is open. A few drops of hot sauce and a squeeze of lemon are all that needs adding.
This is how they are eaten in Galicia. There is a reason the tradition has not changed.
2. Mussels on toast
Drain the mussels and reserve the liquid. Toast sourdough, spread with unsalted butter, and lay the mussels on top. Spoon a small amount of the mussel liquor back over them, add a twist of lemon zest and a few drops of Tabasco. Flat-leaf parsley finishes it.
If the mussels come in escabeche, the brine is sharp enough to replace the lemon entirely. Use one or the other, not both.
3. Mussels with spaghetti
A fifteen-minute dinner that tastes considerably more considered than it is. Soften two sliced garlic cloves in olive oil without colouring them. Add a glass of dry white wine — or a splash of the mussel tin liquid if you prefer not to open a bottle — and let it reduce by half. Add a tin of good chopped tomatoes, season well, and simmer for eight minutes. Add the mussels in the last two minutes, just long enough to warm through. Toss with spaghetti and finish with flat-leaf parsley and a drizzle of olive oil.
Do not boil the mussels. They are already cooked and need only heat.
4. Mussels with rice
The Spanish version — arroz con mejillones — is one of the most satisfying things a tin of mussels can become. Soften a finely diced onion and a red pepper in olive oil, add two garlic cloves and a generous teaspoon of smoked paprika, then a tin of chopped tomatoes. Add twice the volume of short-grain rice in warm stock, stir once to combine, and cook without stirring until the liquid has been absorbed — about eighteen minutes. Lay the mussels across the top in the final three minutes, cover with a lid, and allow to steam through.
Eat directly from the pan if the pan is worth showing.
5. Mussel and potato salad
Boil small waxy potatoes until just tender and dress them while still warm with a shallot vinaigrette — white wine vinegar, Dijon, good olive oil. Allow to cool slightly, then fold in the mussels, thinly sliced celery, flat-leaf parsley, and a small handful of capers. Finish with a little more olive oil and coarsely ground black pepper.
This is the kind of lunch that makes people think you have spent the morning cooking when it has taken twenty minutes. It holds up well in the fridge and travels to a table outdoors without deteriorating.
On the tin liquor
Premium tinned mussels come packed in something worth keeping — either a properly made escabeche or a briny, flavourful liquid that carries the character of the mussel. Pour it over the finished dish, use it to deglaze a pan, stir it into the pasta water, or serve it with bread for dipping. Discarding it is the only mistake worth avoiding.
Browse the mussels collection — Galician producers, Portuguese canneries, and everything currently in stock — to find the tin that suits what you are making.