Facts About Mussels
Mussels are the original finger food providing a hands-on dining experience to stimulate all the senses. Whether you like yours with garlic butter, cream, lemon, herbs, a zesty tomato sauce, or simply steamed in brine with a dash of white wine – no one cooks mussels better than The Mussel Inn.
Mussels occur naturally around the world and have been gathered from the wild for food since ancient times. Although only recently introduced to Scotland, mussel farming has long been practised in other countries.
The process begins with the collection of naturally occurring tiny young mussels, or spat, on ropes suspended in the sea. The baby mussels attach themselves to the ropes with byssal threads or “beards”. But the mussels are not captive on the ropes and can move around freely on a “foot”, competing for the best feeding spots.
If their location is not favourable, they can even detach themselves from the ropes and drift away on the currents in search of another more favourable spot on which to settle. However, the majority remain growing on the ropes for two to three years at the end of which time they are harvested, graded and shipped live to our restaurants.
Unlike some countries, in Scotland we believe that mussels are best served when they are young, tender and at their tastiest. And being rope grown they have a glossy but thinner shell that translates into a higher meat content than their wild counterpart.