Florentina Lewis
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Never freeze raw mussels
If you have leftover fresh mussels and want to freeze them, here are a few things to keep in mind:
- Be sure to cook the mussels before freezing them. This is the only way you can distinguish the edible mussels from the inedible ones. In addition, the mussels decompose if they are not cooked beforehand.
- After cooking, you should only freeze the opened mussels. The closed ones are not edible and should be discarded.
- Mussels that have been thawed once should not be refrozen. They could contain salmonella and cause food poisoning.
Freeze the mussels in their shells
You can easily put the cooked mussels in the freezer with their shells and freeze them.
- The advantage of this is that the mussels can be presented aesthetically with their shells on. For example, you can boil the mussels again in broth and serve them in a pot. They also defrost faster because they don’t stick together. This allows you to defrost different portion sizes.
- Disadvantage: The mussels lose their taste when they are frozen. In the shell, the mussels also take up more space in the freezer than was released.
Mussels triggered freeze
Alternatively, you can take the mussels out of their shells after cooking, let them cool and then freeze them in a freezer bag without their shells.
- Advantage: The mussels take up less space in the freezer. They are also good for use in dishes such as casseroles and pasta after defrosting because they have been defrosted beforehand.
- Disadvantage: Mussels lose flavor when frozen. They will also take a little longer to thaw as they may stick together. You may then need to defrost the entire portion.
