Imperative cooking: mussel appeal
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IT WAS quite the best breakfast I've had for a long time. Which is all the more sur- prising because it was in France. The way to get good breakfasts in countries such as France, where they are not normal, is to find someone who starts work early and join them.
Michel starts work about five. He has a parc where he grows oysters and mussels in the Etang de Thau in south-west France. Throughout the early morning, the boat ferries bucketfuls of both to the end of a narrow slipway with a little rusting railway line. Carts then pull them up to a building a bit like a boat hut, where a machine hoists them up and lowers them into a con- veyor system where they are brushed clean. They are then sorted for size. Little ones are returned for more growing; others are packed up and sent to restaurants, fish- mongers and wholesalers, where they arrive still early in the morning. Michel ships out some 30 tons of mussels in the summer months — when they are at their best — and five tons of oysters, which are not at their best but still good.
This work is done by about 8.30 a.m., when breakfast starts. First, a local dry white and a few mussels, raw, perhaps with a little wine vinegar. Then some oysters, everyone opening their own with Opinels. It is curious that the English, long used to raw oysters, ignore the delights of raw mus- sels. They are wrong. By the way, push the top shell across the bottom with your thumb to make a space to insert the knife. Then a glass or so of red — Merlot from near Montagnac — with some saucisson, goat's cheese, raw ham, pâté and bread, ending up with slabs of 'black' chocolate and rosé. All this consumed sitting or standing round a vast table on which the meats and shellfish are scattered, and sur- rounded by the clattering machinery. Staying in a place where mussels are good and inexpensive has one salutary effect: it makes you find other ways of serv- ing them than mariniere. Middle-class Eng- land discovered mussels in the Sixties — the lower classes had been eating them with vinegar for years — and they discov- ered them mariniere.
For a while it became a badge of conti- nental sophistication, like owning a large pepper-grinder, to serve and enthuse about moules mariniere. Then it settled down into one of those ruts and obligatory for-
mats so beloved of the English: leg of lamb always roast with mint sauce, Parma ham and melon, poached salmon and boiled potatoes, moules mariniere.
Why not have a self-denying ordinance? No more mariniere this year when the mus- sels start to come in September, anything but mariniere.
Instead, from France, mussels opened in white wine and served with aToli, either just the garlic mayonnaise or in a grand aloli with warm salt cod, potatoes, leeks and, if you must, carrots. Again from France, indeed Michel's village, mussels steamed open, shelled and added to grilled grey mullet and béchamel (with fish stock using the mussel water) then baked. Some peo- ple like to serve this dish in scallop shells. This is not necessary. Or very large mus- sels, steamed open and stuffed with minced pork and herbs, the two shells tied with cotton and baked.
Fry lots of garlic (say 12 large cloves sliced thin) and Spanish pimentOn in olive oil, then open the mussels in this. Or, still in Spain, use mussels mixed with fish or meats with rice. That reminds us of Italy for mussel risottos, but even more for mus- sels used with pasta.
And there is no need to stay in Europe. Mussels are widely used, and Indian, Chi- nese and especially south-east Asian dishes can incorporate them. And if these are too intellectually or conventionally threatening, try breaking the mariniere strait-jacket by simply adding pulped toma- toes.
But, with the obvious exceptions of the aIoli and meat/fish mixes, do not serve your new-found mussel recipes as main dishes. They are first courses. This is a matter of fact. If you don't believe me, steam open a pound of mussels. Take them from their shells then both weigh them and observe the space they occupy. It is not right to serve something so mean as a main course.
By the way, Michel raises money for an anti-cancer charity, and one of his cancer doctor chums tells him that mussels are good for, or rather against, cancer. Some- thing to do with iodine. Personally, I can't see why anyone needs such encouragement in order to eat them.
Digby Anderson
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