Mussels and "R" months[moved from Home Cooking board]

[kgebhard]

Someone once told me that you should only eat mussels when there is the letter "R" in the month. So basically not in May, June, July and August. Has anyone else ever heard this? And is it true?

[thenurse]

I've heard that about lobsters, not mussels. Although they ARE from the same place!

[Hungry Celeste]

It's the standard rule on the Gulf Coast for oysters, though it's not technically true. The folkloric rule's roots date from the pre-refrigeration days, when you were more likely to run into a bad oyster in the warmer months of May, June, July, and August. In addition, our local oysters are spawning during those months, and the quality goes down a bit--they tend to be watery/spongy, not firm & salty. I've never heard the rule applied to mussels, though.

[Megiac]

That's the rule for wild mussels. I've been told that you should only eat mussels in Belgium for months that end in -ember. But most of the mussels we get in the US are farmed, so they are good all year round.

[julesrules]

I have heard that too, but when travelling in Belgium in June/July there were mussels mussels everywhere. Maybe just for the tourists, dunno.

[leanneabe]

After reading these replies, I can't remember if the rule applied to oysters or mussels. I think it was oysters. And I think it had to do with the non-R months being warmer and causing transportation problems.

In either case, I don't think it applies to much these days. If a (reputable) restaurant is serving them, I'll order it. If they were serving bad seafood, you'd know about it and they wouldn't have it on the menu. With dry ice and air freight, I think we've improved our delivery methods.

http://threedogkitchen.com

[MakingSense]

Mussels are confusing. Blue ones spawn in summer, green ones in winter. Sterilized triploids, which are farmed and showing up more and more at in stores and restaurants, don't spawn at all. Unlike oysters, which don't taste as good when they are spawning (the months without R in them) there isn't a taste difference in mussels, they just lose body weight so you don't get what you pay for.
So you can eat mussels year round. Good mussels will be a variety that isn't spawing then or a farmed sterile triploid.
None of this has anything to do with refrigeration. Even if you are in a wonderful restaurant in the middle of summer, the oysters on the menu will either be lower quality because they are spawning or farmed sterile triploids. See you in September!

[Sharuf]

On the Pacific coast, "red tides" can occur in the summer months, rendering shellfish toxic. One frequently sees warnings posted during the "R-less" months.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_tide

[MakingSense]

When red tides occur, the authorities close the oyster beds or areas where fish and shellfish are harvested. Commercial sales are halted. There is always a risk in collecting your own unless you are very, very sure of the area where you are collecting them. This is true of any mollusks. East, West, Gulf Coasts. Fresh water too. Has nothing to do with R months.

[Sharuf]

I understand it has to do with water temperature warming up. This ties in with the R-month thing.

[MakingSense]

Yes, red tides are phenomena of warmer months when they occur. Those are the months that don't include Rs in their spellings. If there are no hazards to mollusk beds from red tides, the regular harvesting regulations are in place. Oysters spawn during those non-R months and are of lower quality but there are certainly no health hazards in consuming them. Farmed triploid oysters, some mussels and other mollusks are still available and are perfectly safe. It's important to know your source.