Editing Mussel (section)

===Preparation===
[[File:Moules frites wth rose and pastis.JPG|thumb|300px|Moules-frites]]
[[File:MullMoules (2).jpg|alt=Scottish Mussels|thumb|Scottish mussels]]
[[File:Mussel dish.jpg|thumb|A mussel dish with cherry tomatoes and croutons]]
[[File:MusselsKotorBay1.jpg|thumb|right|Simple mussels roasting in a mussel farm ([[Bay of Kotor]], [[Montenegro]]).]]
Mussels can be smoked, boiled, steamed, roasted, barbecued or fried in butter or vegetable oil.<ref>{{cite web |title=Curry Mussels recipe |url=https://aroundtheyum.com/recipe/mussels-recipe-with-curry/ |website=Around the Yum |date=10 September 2024 |access-date=14 October 2024}}</ref> They can be used in soups, salads and sauces. As with all [[shellfish]], except shrimp, mussels should be checked to ensure they are still alive just before they are cooked; enzymes quickly break down the meat and make them unpalatable or poisonous after dying or uncooked. Some mussels might contain toxins.<ref>{{MedlinePlusEncyclopedia|002851|Poisoning - fish and shellfish}}</ref> A simple criterion is that live mussels, when in the air, will shut tightly when disturbed. Open, unresponsive mussels are dead, and must be discarded. Unusually heavy, wild-caught, closed mussels may be discarded as they may contain only mud or sand. (They can be tested by slightly opening the shell halves.) A thorough rinse in water and removal of "the beard" is suggested. Mussel shells usually open when cooked, revealing the cooked soft parts. Historically, it has been assumed that after cooking all the mussels should have opened and those that have not are not safe to eat and should be discarded. However, according to marine biologist Nick Ruello, this advice may have arisen from an old, poorly researched cookbook's advice, which has now been deemed common sense for all shellfish. Ruello found 11.5% of all mussels failed to open during cooking, but when forced open, 100% were "both adequately cooked and safe to eat."<ref>{{cite book |last=Ruello |first=Nick |title=Improving post harvest handling to add value to farmed mussels |publisher=Seafood Services Australia |date=2004 |page=13 |isbn=0-9577695-12 |url= http://frdc.com.au/Archived-Reports/FRDC%20Projects/2002-418-DLD.pdf#page=14}}</ref>

Although mussels are valued as food, mussel poisoning due to toxic planktonic organisms can be a danger along some coastlines. For instance, mussels should be avoided during the warmer months along the west coast of the United States. This poisoning is usually due to a bloom of [[dinoflagellate]]s (red tides), which contain toxins. The dinoflagellates and their toxin are harmless to mussels, even when concentrated by the mussel's filter feeding, but the concentrated toxins cause serious illness if the mussels are consumed by humans, including [[paralytic shellfish poisoning]].