Eating Mussels the French Way

Mussel dishes served in Monterey restaurants are indeed tasty, although they can be tricky to eat. When one goes about slurping them straight out from the shell, they’re likely to end up with sticky fingers and trickling clam juice down their arms or on their pieces of clothing. Granted, this method is part of what makes eating mussels fun. Unfortunately, when eating out, doing so can become extremely messy, not to mention it’s a bit uncouth.

When eating mussels with a fork feels like a tad too stiff for you, you can choose to eat mussels the way the French do it. Here’s how:

• In your mussel dish, find a big, perfectly-shaped, and empty shell that’s not broken. This will serve as your eating implement.
• Use the shell to scrape off the orange meat out of another shell.
• Eat the removed piece of mussel from the shell as you would if your “eating shell” was a spoon.
• Enjoy.

Using an empty shell is the perfect compromise between slurping and using a fork. Be sure to give it a try the next time you have mussels—and make sure not to leave any cooking broth. Mop it up with a little bread if you must, because it would be a shame to let all that deliciousness go to waste.