Shelling mussels

[MikeR]

Whats the best way to shell mussels?

I\'ve just done a bag in 1 3/4 hours, have backache and plenty of scratches and stabs from the shell. To save slicing my hands to bits I used a dinner knife which was great for leavering but not great for severing the thick tendons.

Cheers.

[Falcone]

i was shelling them the other day and made a right pigs ear of it i could also do with a good method..

[Red5]

If I remember rightly was it Ell on the old board that posted about a good method. It was either chilling them or heating them I can\'t remember which!

[Chris_Hughes]

You can pour boiling water over them, but don\'t allow them to stay in the boiling water and cook - I think it\'s called skeining (not sure of spelling). It opens the shell and toughens them up a little without cooking them and loosing their scent.

[TC]

I remember this being asked a good whilke ago. (infact I think it was me who asked...lol)

One of the replies mentioned placing them in hot water (not hot enough to cook \'em) whilst shelling.

I tried it and worked really well - as Chris says, they open up readily and it does toughen them a little.

A while after that, somebody asked the same question and when I suggested the hot water method, there were several replies saying that placing them in hot water would only result in them loosing their scent and \"attraciveness\" to fish and they SHOULD NOT be shelled using the hot water method.

So, I went back to using nothing but a blunt knife with awful results.
As mike says, a blunt knife is fine for opening the shells but useless for severing those tendons holding the mussel to the shell. I can honestly say that I\'ve never managed to get a complete mussel out of its shell using nothing but a knife. The hot water method was / is far better, imo, and I\'ve gone back to using it again, this winter.

[ralph]

my meathod is to open the shell then use a small teaspoon to scoop out the flesh, really quick and easy!

[Stores]

Stickthem in a sink of cold water, use a doudle bladed knife, like a butter knife, but sharp and throw them in a jar half full of water. That way you maintain the juices and open them easily. The speed comes from practice. Oh yes and count your fingers at the end.

[MikeR]

Did another bag tonight. Put them in a culinder and poured about half a kettle of boiling water over them. Then used a tea spoon to get them out. 20 minutes and no cuts!!!!! They have toughened slightly on the outside but most were still alive and they were all very raw inside.

Cheers fellas. It\'s amazing what a few heads coming together can achieve (saving me 1 1/4 hours and pain).

Stores - if ever I fancy becoming an amputee I\'ll be sure to give the double edged knife a bash. LOL.

[Paul~H]

heres a tip for using them,
In a nice warm kitchen, lash them onto a drinking straw, when its as big as a sausage, slide them off the straw and cit them baitsize, OR use the starw like a bait needle and slide ytem on. saves frosbite works a treat

[5150]

Spoke to a bloke one time who used to lash mussels, peelers etc onto hooks ready for use then freeze them up... just took whatever he wanted for the night and let them thaw while in use...

seemed a bit mad to have a mountain of baited hooks in your freezer, but i guess it\'s easier than trying to bait up on an icy cold night...