Low Carb Mag July 2015 | Page 132

Chef’s Tip: 1 2 3 1. Buy the freshest and alive mussels - if the shell is open before cooking, and remains open even after you touch it, it means the mussel is dead and should be discarded. 2. Rinse them under cold running water. 3. Debeard mussels and pull out the stringy beard - Pinch the beard with your thumb and index finder and use a side to side motion to firmly tug it out. The beard isn’t harmful and it is edible, just not particularly tasty. You can also use a knife to cut off the beard. 4. Remove any of the mussels that remained closed after cooking it means the mussels were dead before you cooked them and they should be thrown away. Cheese that melts quickly is best for this dish