Cultured Mussel Cookbook: How to Buy, Store and Cook the Cultured Blue Mussell

B.J. Busch is Associate Librarian (Access and Information Services) at
the University of Alberta.

Julie Watson’s cookbook provides fresh ideas on mussel cookery for those whose harvest of these succulent little devils has outstripped tried and true ways of preparing them. The author, a journalist with two other cookbooks to her credit (Seafood Cookery of Prince Edward Island and Favorite Recipes from Old Prince Edward Island Kitchens), combines her culinary talent, love of mussels, and writing skills in a clear and concise guide to this type of seafood. Although the recipes concentrate on the use of cultured mussels, wild ones normally can be substituted. There is a fairly long introduction, which explains mussel cultivation and provides helpful hints on buying, storing, and preserving mussels. Measures and yields are given, as are instructions for cooking in quantity. At the end is an article on harvesting “mussel mud,” which served as a substitute for commercial fertilizer in the early days. Of particular interest is a short chapter on Oriental cooking, with recipes such as “Mussels in the Wok from Jack” and “Chinese-Style Mussel Omelet.” There are only about fifty recipes, and nearly half the book is made up of the author’s narrative. Nonetheless, this little book is a real boon to coast dwellers who collect their own mussels and are searching for new recipes, as well as the city dwellers who love mussels.