.Allow 6 to 8 mussels per serving in soups or hors-d'oeuvre; 1 kg per person for a main course

Mussels are perishable and will keep for only 24 hours in the refrigerator before starting to open. If you wish to eat them later, it's best to freeze them whole or shell them and freeze the meat in its own liquid in an airtight container.

Discard any mussels that are open, since they may be inedible;

Wash and brush the mussels;

Don't remove the filaments unless you're baking the mussels or removing the meat from the shells since they flavour the cooking liquid;

Mussels must be cooked before being eaten, otherwise they can cause allergic reactions, including hives.

Marinière

1. Place the mussels in a sauté pan with 50 ml (3 tbsp.) dry white wine; cover the pan and place over high heat until the mussels open.
2. Remove the mussels as they open up; they should be very lightly cooked  (just a matter of minutes); overcooking will toughen them.
3. Discard any mussels that do not open during cooking.
4. Remove the meat from the shells if required by the recipe. If you won't be using them until later, keep them in their cooking liquid to prevent them from drying out.

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Mussels can be used in many different recipes, including Belgian mussel soup, North American-style chowder, Spanish paella, French casseroles...