Mejillones del Mediterráneo

Growing up on the lake in Minnesota, my only experience with “clams” was that they were our feet’s worst enemy. Inevitably, throughout the summer you’d manage to step on the sharp shell of a clam sitting on the sandy lake bottom and cut the bottom of your foot- usually by the time it healed you’d do it again! Clams were slimy, weird creatures that I knew served a role in the lake’s ecosystem but I had no idea that around the world people enjoyed eating them- eeewww!

Mejillones

Freshwater clams are not palatable for humans but are food for raccoons, otters, muskrats, and crayfish. Marine clams and mussels, however, are readily eaten around the world. The first time I tried mussels was in Australia, and I ate one as more of a dare than a willingness to try. It wasn’t totally disgusting, but the texture was just too… foreign. That was over ten years ago, and our move to Spain was all about being open to new foods and experiences so we’ve tried almost every seafood tapa. I surprised myself with how much I've enjoyed all of them, slimy texture, shells, mystery parts, and all. My kids surprised me the most. I was sure only adults would appreciate the clams and mussels, but the reality now is if we don’t watch the kids closely (especially Declan) they’ll devour the whole plate before others get their share!

Tellinas

As we've started to eat more shellfish, typical of the local Mediterranean diet, we dug into the nutritional value these foods and were pleasantly surprised to learn that not only are they delicious but they offer many health benefits. For example, mussels contain a high level of desirable long chain fatty acid EPA, which improve brain function and reduce inflammation. One pound of mussels provides the same amount of protein as a six ounce steak but with only a trace of saturated fat. Plus, mussels are a rich source of many vitamins, such as B12, and minerals, like manganese, selenium, and zinc.

In Spain, mussels or “mejillones” are really cheap at about €2 a kilo and if they are not caught fresh, they are farmed in an environmentally sound manner. There are a thousand different recipes, and I have only tried a few, but most are quick and easy. The only time-consuming part of preparing mejillones is cleaning the shells, in which you need a knife and a wire scrub brush. They fully cook in about five minutes and you know when they are ready to eat when the shells open.

Last week, I created my third Spanish recipe video, demonstrating how to prepare mejillones. My goal in creating these videos is for personal cooking use and to document my Spanish-language evolution, which has come a long way but still has a long way to go. I did it this video in a matter of 10 minutes, mainly because my camera battery was dying. It was hard for me to watch and edit because I hear my grammatical and pronunciation mistakes, and while I was tempted to re-do it I decided to stick with it because it’s real and where I’m at right now, whether I like it or not. Below the video, I’ve included the recipe. Disfruta!

“Mejillones” (Mussels) Appetizer

• 2 bay leaves
• 6 cloves garlic
• 2 dozen small mussels
• 1 small fresh onion
• Olive oil
• 5 (de-strung) sticks of celery
• Fresh pepper to taste
• 1 cup white wine
• 1 tablespoon capers
• 100g tomato sauce

Clean off the outside of the mussels

Cook all ingredients in pan (except mussels) then..add mussels

All shells should open when they are cooked