Mussels are a fairly popular seafood. They have many beneficial properties. Long since they began to grow artificially. Now, on special farms, about ten million tons of these molluscs are grown every year.
Useful properties of mussels
Mussels are high in healthy fats, which include beneficial polyunsaturated acids. These substances improve vision and brain activity.
Also, the meat of these seafood has a positive effect on the liver. It's all about the high quality protein it consists of, as well as the high content of phosphatides.
Mussels are excellent antioxidants. Their meat is rich in trace elements such as cobalt, iodine, copper, zinc, manganese, as well as vitamins PP, E, D.
Mussels stimulate hematopoietic processes, improve immunity and metabolism. They are recommended to be eaten with blood diseases, as well as radiation damage.
The meat of these shellfish can reduce the risk of developing cancer. In addition, the inclusion of mussels in the diet is a good way to prevent arthritis.
Mussel meat is rich in glycogen and various minerals. It also contains some enzymes that improve human digestion.
How to cook mussels?
Boiled frozen mussels should be boiled for three minutes after the water boils. Frozen - seven minutes. If the mussels are fresh, in the shells - twelve minutes.
When cooking, it is very important to take into account that overcooked mussels become tasteless and as if rubbery. Therefore, they should not be kept in boiling water for too long.
The water in which the mussels will be boiled should be slightly salted. Otherwise, all the juice of these mollusks will go into the broth, which is practically not used in cooking.
Mussels do not need to be thawed before boiling because they are very small. And when choosing this product, if there is an opportunity to check the smell, remember that high quality shellfish do not smell like fish.
If the mussels were frozen or fresh, they must be cleaned of algae and other contaminants. A brush can help you with this. Then they are washed several times, and after the shells are opened, the meat is taken out. The cooked-frozen product does not need to be processed.
In the case when the mussels need to be fried, they do not need to be boiled. Just heat them up in a skillet.
Cooking mussels with avocado sauce is quite common. To do this, a kilogram of shellfish is boiled in 700 ml of white wine. The fruit is chopped to a puree consistency, cooled for 15 minutes. Then small cakes are made, in the center of which seafood is spread. The dish is served on the leaves of Chinese salad.
