Mussels need to be carefully cleaned and checked before eating in order to avoid a mouthful of sand.
How to prepare mussels
Method
1
Check the mussels are closed, any open shells should close when gently tapped, if they don’t you should discard them. Discard any with broken shells
2
Place the mussels in a colander and run under cold water to remove excess sand
3
Scrub the shells with a scourer to remove any barnacles attached
4
Pull away any ‘beards’ attached to the side of the mussel - this is the brown tag that looks a little like seaweed sticking ot of the shell
5
The mussels are now ready to be cooked
