Prince Edward Island’s blue mussels are known for their sweet, tender meat. Tourism PEI’s simple steamed version pairs them with celery, onion or shallot, tarragon, lemon and melted butter, using water, white wine or beer as the steaming liquid. This home-scaled recipe follows that local approach, with dry white wine or water and a butter dip. It is a direct regional preparation rather than a claim to one exclusive family formula.
For a main course, allow about 450 g of mussels in their shells per person. Steam them covered until the shells open, then discard any that stay closed. Serve promptly with lemon and butter; bread is optional and is not included in the nutrition estimate.
Step 1Keep live mussels refrigerated below 4°C until preparation. Scrub and debeard them as needed under cold running water. Discard cracked shells and mussels that do not close when tapped. Keep raw mussels and their juices separate from ready-to-eat foods.
Step 2Put the wine or water, celery, shallot and tarragon in a large lidded pot. Bring to a simmer over high heat.
Step 3Add the mussels and cover tightly. Steam for 5–8 minutes, shaking the pot once or twice, until the shells open. Check a representative mussel’s meat for 74°C with a clean digital thermometer when practical; continue steaming briefly if needed, but no longer than 9 minutes total. Remove opened mussels as they finish and discard any that remain closed.
Step 4Melt the butter in a small pan. Season with black pepper and optional cayenne. Cut the lemon into wedges and arrange the cooked mussels on a clean platter.
Step 5Serve promptly with lemon and melted butter for dipping. Use clean utensils and refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours; reheat leftovers to 74°C.
Buy live mussels from a reliable, approved seller and follow the package storage directions. Keep them below 4°C and never thaw shellfish at room temperature. Before cooking, discard cracked shells; if an intact mussel stays open and does not close when tapped, follow the seller’s guidance and discard it. Do not crowd the pot; steam in batches if needed. Tourism PEI notes that about 450 g in-shell mussels per person is a main-course serving. Keep raw shellfish and its liquid away from cooked food, wash hands and equipment, and serve the mussels soon after cooking.
Rounded generic estimate; the amount of mussel meat recovered from the shells and product sodium vary. Butter is included, while optional bread is not. This is not a laboratory analysis.
This recipe contains molluscan shellfish (mussels) and milk (butter). White wine may contain sulphites; check the label, or use water instead. Keep live mussels refrigerated below 4°C and do not thaw them at room temperature. Steam for 4–9 minutes until shells open, check the meat reaches 74°C when practical, and discard any that stay closed. Prevent cross-contamination by keeping raw shellfish and juices away from cooked food and cleaning hands, utensils and surfaces. Refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours and reheat to 74°C.
Yes. Tourism PEI lists water, dry white wine or beer as steaming liquid. Water keeps the mussel flavour simple; the shellfish and aromatics will release their own juices as they steam.
