Mussels live on the ocean floor. They get grumpy and gritty. Give them a good scrub under cold running water.
Use a stiff brush. Knock off any barnacles or sand. You don’t want to bite into a crunchy surprise.
Funny enough, farmed mussels are usually clean. Wild ones? Expect some beachy souvenirs.
Soak? Or No Soak?
Grandma might swear by soaking them in salted water with cornmeal. The idea? They “purge” sand.
But modern mussels are lazy. They’re raised on ropes, not on the seabed. Soaking is mostly a myth now.
Skip the soak. Just scrub and cook fast. Your mussels won’t be offended.
