You Can Only Eat Mussels in Months With an “R” – Is That Correct?

For a long time, the rule was that you should only eat mussels in months with an “R”. This means the colder season from September to April. In fact, this is the time when mussels are in season and the supply is at its greatest. In the summer months, you still don’t have to do without seafood – at least not if you buy it in the supermarket or eat it in a restaurant.

The reason for the old rule is as follows: Mussels feed on algae, among other things. However, certain types of algae leave small amounts of poison in the mussel meat. In the warm summer months, algae blooms can occur in the sea. The mussels then filter a particularly large amount of algae out of the water, so that the amount of poison in the seafood reaches a highly alarming concentration. Eating such mussels is extremely harmful to health. The health consequences range from comparatively harmless stomach problems to fatal poisoning. In the months with “R”, however, such an algal bloom is almost impossible.

Mussels that you buy in the supermarket during the summer months, for example for our mussel recipe, can still be eaten without hesitation. They are strictly controlled before they go on sale. After being caught, the mussels are stored in clean water for a certain period of time so that any algae toxins that may be present are guaranteed to be excreted by the mussels. In the summer, however, caution should still be exercised with fresh mussels, which are purchased from the fisherman immediately after they have been caught.

However, there is another reason why mussels are eaten less frequently in the months without an “R”, but this is not a health risk: the seafood is spawning season from May to August. The mussel meat is of inferior quality during these months.

Another important tip: never eat mussels whose shells have already opened. Do a test beforehand by holding them under cold running water and tapping the shell. If the shell closes, you can eat the mussel without hesitation. If it doesn’t, it is no longer alive and should definitely be disposed of.