Local oysters and muscles, any good to eat.

[realearner]

As title, I know of a good local spot covered in shellfish. Is there anything I should be really careful about? I intend to go and get some next week and have a cook up on the seawall.
So any advice, or even cooking ideas.

 

[Niels]

Only eat in winter, and always ask locals if they eat 'em.
In British waters, there is something called a red tide.

I'll explain. Mussels are filter feeders. When the water gets warm, a reddish type of algae in them. These can actually kill you, and no cooking will help. Chances are they won't be there in winter.

Here in Zeeland, we also have an old addage, that you must only eat the shelfish in the months with an 'R'. So not in May, June, Juli, August. This is a good rule of thumb, because the shellfish are reproducing in these months, causing them to be soft, white, and not very tasty.

As for cooking them, once you are completely sure that it's safe, you just stick your knife in the oyster, at the rear hinge. Then cut right through the closing muscle. (Nothing beats a fresh, salt raw oyster straight from the shell) Mussels you can just lie on the ground, find a heap of grass and light over it. You can do this with the oysters too. Also watch RM aboriginal britain, he cooks some seafood there to. Don't eat the mussels raw though.

I'm yet too meet a non zeeuw (person from zeeland) who likes eating raw oystersbut we love them.

 

[lannyman8]

as above, but also consider the minimum size you are allowed to take, most local tide books have a shell fish sizing bit in the back, they normally cost about £3-4 for the year...

good eating though, you lucky bugger...

 

[Keith_Beef]

The French also say that you should only eat oysters if there's an R in the month, but it is as much to do with cooler weather in the times when there were no refrigerated waggons to bring the oysters from the coast to Paris.

I agree with the red tide advice, as well as asking locals. But you might also look at advice from the Ministry for Agriculture Fisheries and Food (or is that what is now called DEFRA?) to find out if there are "unsafe" zones due to sewage outflows...

 

[santaman2000]

Plus 1 about the red tides. Although if there is a red tide you'll definitely know even before you gather any oysters. Just breathing the air near it will cause respiratory problems.

 

[xylaria]

I have found when we picked heavily contaminated cockles and mussles this summer they gave off a sewage smell when cooked. The really awful bit we found out that the beds we still open at this point. there is a pdf on the net somewhee with the coliform counts for uk beachees. If you are collecting on beach that frequently fails it can still be used by commercial pickers, as they purge in tanks. Red tide isnt that common there should be notices on a affected beach.
it is good to leave shellfish in bucket of clean fresh water to remove grit and reduce bacteria. Sewage smells both in the purge bucket and the cookingpot, trust me you wont mistake it. Llanstephan shellfish never again

 

[Keith_Beef]

My mum was over from England for a couple of weeks, and one night with my kids we got on to the subject of mussels, and how those that you buy from the supermarket or fishmonger now are so much simpler to prepare than those that she got the job of preparing as a girl, and even that I remember as a boy.

After buying the mussels, they had to be left in a bucket with oatmeal to purge them, then rinsed, get the beards off, and after all that there would be pea crabs that we'd find inside the shells after cooking.

Nowadays the cultivated mussels arrive purged and cleaned, just have to sort the quick from the dead and they're ready for the pot... I don't think I've seen a pea crab in a mussel in thirty years.

 

[xylaria]

the mussles we pick from the harbour wall are huge and this time of year can go straight in the pot. there is nothing beats really fresh shellfish. you just need to find the good spot. most supermarket mussles are from northern irelamd where the water is very clean and cold. there are perfectly lovely beds on most coasts
happy foraging

 

[realearner]

Thanks for all the info, I shall do a bit of research as not off until next week so a bit of time there.
As for the cooking, yes I shall be cooking all shellfish as tried raw oysters and not for me
Will try and take some pictures and post when done..

 

[Dan J]

Red tides are unlikely in the uk. so only thing really is to avoid polluted waters, sewage outlets etc.

Cook anyway you want. just in a frying pan with some butter is good for mussels as when they are fresh picked they are a lot more tender than bought ones.

 

[robin wood]

I'm yet too meet a non zeeuw (person from zeeland) who likes eating raw oystersbut we love them.

I once lived for a week on raw oysters and am a fan. I was skint and got a job as an oyster shucker in Florida, ate hardly anything else until the first pay came through. Now I think they are way overpriced, mussels are great value though. I love mussels cooked in cider and a splash of cream.

 

[Niels]

I once lived for a week on raw oysters and am a fan. I was skint and got a job as an oyster shucker in Florida, ate hardly anything else until the first pay came through. Now I think they are way overpriced, mussels are great value though. I love mussels cooked in cider and a splash of cream.

They're great aren't they you just taste the sea in them.

 

[santaman2000]

here in florida i've learned to like raw oysters also. especially on a saltine with a slpash of Tobasco.

But my all time favorite is still dredged in cormeal and deep fried.

 

[redsalmon]

if there is red tide (there was in west scotland / inner hebrides a few years ago) you'll see the signs/hear the news. myself i'd be looking to collect mussels from clean (less sewage) shores too but i've never gone to the trouble of soaking them in fresh water first (although it sounds good advice) . my standard is boiling them, the one's that don't open with the boil don't eat cos they're the bad ones (although i'm told this isn't actually a good test). if you're living off them for any length of time stock cubes (esp 'Italian' ones) give a tasty impression of having a varied diet.

limpets are good too, i prefer the ones furthest out. though remember you want to eat the rubbery foot bit. it took me a few sessions of eating the guts, and not enjoying the experience, before someone pointed this out to me.

 

[ebt.]

Months with R is a reliable measure, but also check the water quality in your area (blue flag etc).

After that its a question of cleaning and only cooking ones whos shells are shut. Purging in fresh water will kill them (osmotic shock), useful with scallops but not a good idea for mussels.

as for cooking, splash of oil, hot pan.... some garlic/chilli.... mussels....something alcoholic and then lid on to steam until they all open. Add crusty bread and keep a pointy object nearby to repel scavengers (both winged and 2 legged).

 

[rik_uk3]

here in florida i've learned to like raw oysters also. especially on a saltine with a slpash of Tobasco.

But my all time favorite is still dredged in cormeal and deep fried.

Try with a little dash of Pernod over them or go the whole way http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oysters_Rockefeller

 

[ocean1975]

Hi realearner,
I have done a little bit of foraging along the
Kent coast line with the bushcraft magazine.
Where abouts was you thinking of going.
I have limited knowledge but I might be able to help.
Pm me if you don't want to put the location on the forum.