Scottish rope grown Mussels are great example of farmed seafood. There are 14 mussel farms in the SSMG group which supplies Waitrose. This represents about 70% of total Scottish mussel production. The season runs from September to March. The mussels come from farms in tidal sea lochs across the north and west of Scotland. They have Friends of the Sea (FOS) certification which affirms that they are grown in a sustainable and environmentally friendly manner.
They are easy to prepare and are free of grit often found in shellfish dredged from the seabed.
My “go to” recipe would be the classic moules marinières with white wine, shallots and cream. On this occasion I decided to use Thai green curry paste, coconut milk, ground white pepper and coriander.
In Cádiz mussels (mejillones) are often served on the half shell “a la vinagreta” – white wine vinegar, finely chopped onion, green pepper and tomato.
Another favourite would be canned fried mussels in Escabeche.
