Mussels are a form of shellfish that are sold in their shells, and they’re very easy to cook at home. They’re also relatively inexpensive to buy, due to their abundance.

Contents show

Mussels may be regarded as an acquired taste, but when cooked well alongside delicious fresh ingredients, mussel dishes can be amazingly flavorful. Not only are they delicious, but they’re full of nutrition.

We have compiled a list of the 20 best recipes featuring mussels for you to try making at home.

Mussel And Tomato Chowder

This light and tasty mussel dish features fresh cherry tomatoes, white wine, a selection of herbs, and a dash of Tabasco sauce for a little spicy kick. Also in the chowder there are cubed potatoes, onion, and garlic.

All of these ingredients combined make for a delicious and flavorful chowder that’s also very healthy.

Mussels With Orzo And ‘Nduja Recipe

Delicious and packed full of flavor, this mussel with orzo and ‘nduja recipe is the ideal stew for those cold winter days. This warming and comforting stew can be made easily in less than an hour.

Also, it’s a low-calorie and healthy meal that you, your family and friends will all enjoy.

Thai Red Curry Mussels

You may think that mussels with Thai red curry might be a little out of the ordinary, but the flavors work incredibly well together.

If you enjoy mussels in a tomato sauce or in a creamy curry sauce, then this is one recipe you need to try. Mix it up a little and use some French bread to soak up all that delicious sauce. What could be better?

Mussels With Wheat Beer And Bacon

This tasty recipe uses wheat bear instead of the more typical white wine. In addition, the bacon gives the dish a really nice smoky flavor that pairs well with the beer flavors and with the mussels.

This low-calorie meal can be served as either a starter or a main meal alongside some delicious fresh bread to mop up that amazing sauce.

Mussels In A Fennel And White Wine Broth

This Italian-style mussel recipe is really simple but elegant. It combines a few really beautiful flavors to make something very special.

The roasted fennel really adds a unique flavor to the dish that pairs well with the mussels and white wine. This low-calorie meal can be made in under an hour.

Mussels In A Smoky Miso Broth

Charred shallots and white miso paste add incredible flavor and depth to this rosé-based broth. This quick-and-easy recipe is low in calories but high in delicious flavor. Make this one to impress your family and friends.

Serve with fresh, crusty bread to really take this dish up a notch.

Spicy Catalan Mussels With Almond Picada

This Spanish-style mussel dish is a quick-and-easy starter with plenty of spice. These spicy Catalan mussels go so well with the almond picada.

The almond picada really balances out the spiciness from the mussels and adds a nice depth of flavor to the dish. Make sure to serve this one with some delicious, fresh, crusty bread to mop up all that incredibly sauce.

Saffron Mussels With Orzo And Tomatoes

This is a super easy, one-pot meal that can be made in under an hour. Mussels are flavored with saffron and paired with plum tomatoes and orzo to make a light and creamy dish.

Orzo is a form of pasta that goes so well with this type of seafood dish, as the little rice-like pieces soak up all the delicious white wine sauce infused with delicious spices and garlic.

Mussels With Saffron And Spinach

This creamy and delicious Spanish-style mussel recipe is definitely one that will please your taste buds.

Dry white wine and crème fraîche come together with saffron, thyme, black pepper, and spinach to make a rich, creamy, and delicious sauce that begs to be soaked up with some fresh, crusty bread.

Breaded Garlic And Herb Baked Mussels

This quick and easy dish is packed full of flavor. Coating the mussels in breadcrumbs, butter, garlic, and parsley and then baking them in the oven gives the mussels a beautiful, golden-brown crispy coating.

This dish is the ideal appetizer, especially when served with some fresh lemon to squeeze over the mussels.

Clams, Mussels, Chorizo With Fino And Aioli

In this recipe, mussels and clams are steamed in a delicious sherry and served with spicy chorizo and a garlic aioli on the side. The chorizo is fried up with some shallots and garlic before the calms and mussels are added with the sherry.

Once cooked, a drizzle of some nice olive oil is added over them and then some cilantro for color and flavor. This dish is best served with a slice of a nice, crusty baguette.

Fideua With King Prawns, Chicken, And Mussels

This tasty Spanish-style dish is similar to paella, but it uses pasta instead of rice. An authentic Spanish flavor is provided my smoked paprika that tastes incredible along with the chicken, prawns, and mussels.

This hearty dish is perfect for family get-togethers, as you can cook up a large batch of it and share it out.

Brazilian Fish, Shrimp And Mussel Stew

This delicious and authentic Brazilian stew features fresh halibut, shrimp, and mussels with a host of amazing flavors. Also in the dish there is cashew butter, coconut milk, tomato paste, and serrano chilies.

This makes for a delicious and stew with well-balanced flavors, with a blend of spiciness and creaminess. This stew is perfect for cold winter days to remind you of warmer times ahead.

Grilled Mussels With Salsa Verde

This recipe is a delicious appetizer full of bold, Italian flavors.

The salsa verde is made with fresh herbs, anchovies and garlic. Salsa verde is the perfect savory addition to the mussels, as it provides a nice freshness that pairs well with the salty and sweet mussels.

Greek Fried Mussels With Skordalia

You may be surprised to hear that fried mussels are a popular dish in Macedonia and Thrace.

These delicious fried mussels are lightly spiced and go so well with the garlicky skordalia sauce, which is a traditional Greek dip made from garlic and potatoes. This is a really tasty and affordable meal that’s easy to make.

Steamed Mussels With Curry, Leeks, And Saffron Cream

Curry with steamed mussels is known as mouclade in France. This delicious recipe uses dry cider to steam the mussels rather than the traditional white wine, and it includes leeks instead of the more traditional shallots.

Of course, this recipe must be served with some crusty French bread to mop up that amazing sauce.

Linguine And Mussels With Garlic Butter And White Wine Pasta Sauce

This mussel dish with pasta has a deliciously creamy and yet light sauce with fresh basil and Parmesan cheese. This white wine sauce is the perfect companion to the steamed mussels.

The perfect creamy pasta sauce for this recipe consists of white wine, whipping cream, and Parmesan cheese. Simple ingredients when cooked well make for the perfect dish. Try this quick-and-easy recipe out.

Mussel, Tomato, And Chorizo Ragù On Garlic Toast

This Mediterranean-style stew with mussels, tomatoes, and chorizo is so simple and yet so delicious. Packed full of spice and flavor, including chili and garlic, this stew is the perfect meal for a nice family get-together.

The mussels are cooked in white wine and a sweet sherry, which adds an amazing flavor to the shellfish. This dish is best served with some rustic, crusty bread.

Saffron Mussel Bisque

This warm and hearty saffron and mussel bisque is the ideal feast for any seafood lover. This simple and delicious recipe can be made so easily and in no time at all. Simple flavors combine to make a really special dish that will impress anyone who tries it.

This dish may even convert people who are skeptical about shellfish. Garnished with some fresh parsley for color and served hot, this elegant dish is one you should try for yourself at home.

Sheet-Pan Paella With Chorizo, Mussels, And Shrimp

This delicious traditional Spanish dish can be made so easily on a single baking sheet, which saves a lot of time and effort cleaning up. Thinly sliced chorizo come together alongside mussels and shrimp in a beautifully spiced paella packed full of flavors of smoked paprika, saffron, green olives, and parsley.

The oils from the chorizo add so much flavor to the entire dish and all this delicious broth is soaked up by the short-grain rice

And that concludes our list of the 20 best mussel recipes from across the internet! We’ve tried to make this list as varied as possible by including cuisine from all over the world. Which one took your fancy? We hope our list has given you some inspiration and you’ll try out one or a few of these recipes for yourself.

Below you will find some common questions people may regarding mussels. Hopefully this will enlighten you about anything you don’t understand about mussels and how to prepare them.

Frequently Asked Questions

Are Mussels Alive?

Yes, mussels are alive. They are a part of the bivalve family of molluscs that includes oysters, clams, and scallops. They are alive when you purchase them. Dead mussels should not be eaten. If you tap the shell, it should close.

If not, then it’s dead and should be thrown away. Similarly, when they are cooked they should open. If they do not open once cooked, they should be thrown away.

What Do Mussels Taste Like?

Mussels have a slight “ocean” taste to them, and a slight briny flavor. They can also be subtly sweet, and they have a slight mushroom-like undertone to them.

Do Mussels Have Poop In Them?

The black stuff found inside mussels is the plankton and other microscopic organisms eaten by the mussel that is still in its digestive tract, yet to be digested. Since these remnants of microscopic creatures and plankton are yet to be digested, it is not, in fact, poop.

Are Mussels Good For You?

Mussels, like all mollusks, are incredibly nutritious, and they are a clean source of protein. They are also a great source of omega 3 fatty acids, folate, and zinc. They also exceed the recommended daily intake of iron, iodine, and selenium.

Is It Safe To Eat Mussels Every Day?

Eating shellfish like mussels regularly can improve your immune system, and your zinc status. However, since mussels are filter feeders, you must ensure that the mussels you’re eating are sourced from a good place free of toxins, pesticides, and other contaminants.

Do You Need To Prepare Mussels Before Cooking?

Mussels must be cleaned before being cooked. Scrub any grit or barnacles from the mussels’ shell before cooking, and remove the “beard”.

The “beard” is a bit of hair-like fibers that the mussels use to stick onto rocks and things. Not all mussels have this “beard”, but if it does, it can be easily removed by simply pulling it off.

The 20 Best Mussel Recipes

Mussels are a great source of protein and nutrients. Learn how to cook mussels and discover the best recipes with our list of the 20 best mussel recipes.

Ingredients

Directions

Pick a recipe from the list above
Click the recipe name and visit the website
Collect the ingredients and cook the food
Enjoy – don’t forget to leave a review

Recipe Video

Author
Recent Posts

Jess Smith

Hi, my name is Jess Smith, and I love cooking in my spare time. Around three years ago, I decided to give up my day job as a teacher to pursue my passion for food. While I have enjoyed sharing tips and tricks on Social Media, I have decided to expand my horizons through this blog.

Through this blog I hope to help others learn the basics and more intricate details of cooking. I know from personal experience how frustrating it can be to cook a meal, only to realize you are missing one ingredient from your list. This is why I love to write articles chatting readers through some great substitutes that can be used in an emergency.

I hope you will find this blog useful, and that it will help you to develop your culinary skills, to help you cook up a storm!