Mussels ok to eat?

[madeliner]

Hi I bought a bag of pei mussels today and saw when I got home the sell by date is tomorrow-they do smell a little (I dont remember pei mussels smelling at all but I could be wrong) but are not open

are they ok to eat? I'll steam them open tonight.

Thanks! :)

[Bacardi1]

Give them a brisk risk under cold water. Any that are partially opened & don't close after a brisk rinse & tap should be tossed. Cook the rest, & any that don't open after the rest open after cooking should be tossed as well.

And if the number of ones you've had to toss are more than just a few, ask for a refund from your purchasing market. And INSIST on that refund.

I once bought a sack of mussels that looked lovely at the market, but turned out to be 99% dead when I dumped them into the sink to rinse. Horrible. Luckily I still had my receipt & mussel bag tab, so ended up getting a full refund.

Never turn the other cheek if you get stale shellfish. Prices these days are far too high.

[madeliner]

Thanks guys

They were ok, all closed after washing

Getting more today and will definitely ask for the date before buying them

[chefj]

Really the date of harvest does not help that much. How they are stored and handled will make the most difference. If handled badly they could die the same day that they are harvested.
Good advice here http://www.martins-seafresh.co.uk/Mus...

[Bacardi1]

I 2nd the harvest date not being terribly important if the shellfish have been handled well. However, I disagree with the the link's advice to store mussels "tightly packed" in the fridge, as "tightly packed" is easily construed to mean in a closed bag or air-tight container. Shellfish need to be kept alive, & do need air. Never store shellfish in an enclosed container - always store in an open bag or container in the coldest part of your fridge &/or on ice.

[chefj]

They did not say anything about covering though I cover with a Tea Towel, but good to reinforce anyway.

[njmarshall55]

JOOC, how did you fix them?

[Brandon Nelson]

Put them in a colander and run a lot of water over them. Throw out any that don't close (they are dead). Cook, throw out any that don't open.

Any doubts about any them, throw them out. A bad bi valve will get you very sick.

[njmarshall55]

Agreed. Never been so sick as after bad seafood. Asked SO to just shoot me and put me out of my misery. Better safe than sorry.

[chefj]

If they are alive you can eat them.

[madeliner]

Thanks

-makes sense that as long as they are alive they are ok to eat

thanks a bunch chefj.