"jmcquown" > wrote in message
...
> Okay, no cockles (shut up, Sheldon! LOL) and the mussels are frozen. My
> brother gave me a couple of bags of frozen mussels in a garlic & butter
> sauce. (I think he said he got them at Costco.) Each bag is
> approximately
> 1 lb.
>
> The instructions for cooking say to cook them from frozen. Empty the
> contents of the bag into a saucepan and cover the pan. Heat on high for
> 3-4
> minutes; reduce heat and simmer 3-5 minutes more, stirring gently, until
> the
> mussels open. (And yes, I know you throw away the ones that don't open.)
> I
> guess they were flash frozen while still alive and stuck in a bag with
> some
> garlic/butter sauce then cryo-vac'd. Is there some sort of weird
> suspended
> animation thing going on here? <G>
>
> Now that I have them, I've no idea what do do with them. I've only ever
> had
> mussels in a restaurant, in a combination seafood/pasta dish. I'm
> thinking
> I should keep it simple and serve them over linguini. Not sure about any
> other seasonings. Does this sound about right?
>
> Jill
>
>

I'll add that if you don't like the results, don't let it discourage you
from trying mussels at a restaurant in a place where they're harvested
locally. This is no comparison. There are also regional differences and
seasonal differences. They range from great to fabulous.