Shellfish question.... not my area of expertise!!

C

cheezz

Well-known member
I am making paella and it says to put all the shellfish (mussels, clams) on top of rice, cover and cook 30 min. This sounds like a long time to cook the shellfish... they will essentially steam on top of the rice.

I make paella all the time, but the family isn't big on shellfish so I leave it out... now I have to make it for someone who is a big mussel fan.

 
That seems too long to me. I'd guess 10-15 minutes. Or keep an eye on them and pluck them out

as soon as they open. Add them back when the rice is finished.

 
Thanks guys - that's what I plan on doing.. didn't want them too tough to eat smileys/smile.gif

 
I picked up mussels at Costco yesterday, made Mussels in Tomato Broth, but I must have gotten a bad

one, I'm feeling the after effects this morning. They smelled and tasted fresh and delicious, and the recipe was really good. I had to make something with what I had on hand, and it filled the requirement. Sorry to say, I'm feeling like I don't want to see another mussel for awhile, and since the sack was 5 lbs, I had saved some for a paella recipe today, it's in the September Cooking Light. A great issue, has 20 recipes they consider their best of 20 years.

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/231361

 
This is a very sad story, Curious. I guess there must have been a dead one in there somewhere.

 
I am only allergic to scallot among the molosks. Maybe your are allergic to mussels. .........

My Doctor said that some people are allergic to the enzyme that the molosk uses to make its shell and that is why some people are allergic to one and not another.

 
I hadn't thought of allergies, but that's not it. I may have blamed a mussel falsely. I made

the paella last night, I didn't think I'd be able to eat it, but did and it was very good and very easy to make. And, I didn't get a bit sick.

Again, I chose this recipe because I had all the ingredients on hand, well...I subbed andouille for the chorizo and chicken breast for the thighs. I took the chicken pieces out and saved them with the shrimp and andouille when they were cooked instead of cooking them the entire 25 minutes with the rice.

I don't have a lid for my large non-stick skillet, so I used a 10 inch regular saute pan and a bit more oil than called for.

As for my slight case of food poisoning, perhaps it was pay back for scarfing all those samples at Costco. Even the mussels that had been refrigerated overnight in a bowl covered by damp paper towels were tightly closed and smelled good. DH tossed only a broken one and one that didn't close fast enough to suit him, lol.

For anyone still reading this, the mussels at Costco seemed extremely fresh and in good condition, they were Canadian rope cultured. I wouldn't hesitate to buy them again. Out of 5 lbs of mussels, we tossed 3 mussels and that was before they were cooked.

http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=1654636

 
Joe, if one only opens about a 1/4 inch or so, should it have been discarded. Sorry to say, I know

it tasted fine. Could that have been a problem? It was the only one that hadn't out of the almost 4 lbs I cooked and I just assumed since it opened at all, it was safe. In retrospect, I wouldn't have eaten it, lol.

 
I hate to throw any away, even though they're a bargain, LOL. But if it only opens a little bit

you could cook it a bit longer. It that doesn't open it I'd toss it.

Michael Chiarello finally answered a question for me about the ones that are open when you buy them: Tap them, and if they don't respond by closing tightly, toss them.

 
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