Mussel | Good Fish Guide | The consumer guide to sustainable seafood

Common name - Mussel

Scientific name - Mytilus edulis

Average rating

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Consumer Information

These deep bluish purple two-shelled or bivalve molluscs are common on UK shores and shallow seabed's and are often viewed as a poor man's shellfish, as they are so cheap. The shell is longer than it is wide and wedge-shaped. The inside is pearly blue. Best steamed with garlic, butter, lemon juice, white wine or other sauce. If cooked well they taste like the ocean with a hint of mushroom. The whole mussel, apart from the shell, is eaten. Mussels are widely cultivated and the most common source; eat rope grown or hand-gathered mussels as these are have a lower environmental impact than those harvested by mechanical methods such as dredging.

Summary

Mussels are widely cultivated. Shellfish farming is an extensive, low-impact method of aquaculture and high quality water standards are required for cultivation of shellfish for human consumption. Mussel farming requires no feed inputs therefore farming of mussels is a good way of producing seafood. Also there are no chemicals used in mussel farming. As only naturally occurring spat are used for on-growing therefore escapes is not an issue.

Alternatives

(Based on method of production, fish type, and consumer rating: only fish rated 3 and below are included.)

Scallop, King

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