carosio Posted November 30, 2011 Share Posted November 30, 2011 Back in the 70s and 80s we used to buy 6lb every week from the fish shop at Hillsborough, my mother used to shell, clean and cook them, they were delicious with vinegar, bread and butter. Cheap too. I also collected quite a few small pearls from them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
welsh mussel Posted November 30, 2011 Share Posted November 30, 2011 funny thing running in to this thread just browsing Google . i am one of the last few fishing the conwy river for mussels only 4 of us left full time i supply a company conwy mussels who sell them to some fish markets in Birmingham and some place in Sheffield i don't know where tho , i will find out where they are sold for you guys tomorrow . not just saying it because i fish them but there is no other mussels like conwy`s we had a food festival here in October and food critics from London, Australia, and Canada and all said they were the best tasting mussels they have every had ,only downside we have is with the larger mussels people don't like the barnacles on them we still fish for them with long rakes very very hard back breaking work but i really enjoy it . i filmed a short video about 2 years ago and stuck it on you tube i cant add a link but just type in conwy mussels or welshboyjam and you will see how we fish for them Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RJRB Posted November 30, 2011 Author Share Posted November 30, 2011 That's why I asked as I find green lipped mussels quite flavourless compared to smaller native mussels.I've never knowingly had conway mussels.Are they large like green lips? They are larger than the cultivated rope ones and much tastier than the green lip ones. You would recognise them if you come across them.being natural,some will have barnacles on the shell.you just have to rinse in cold water and take off the "beards" which are little fibres. They are as tasty as anything,and as commented above you do find little pearls sometimes.best to find them before you bite them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Full Moon Posted November 30, 2011 Share Posted November 30, 2011 Thank you welsh mussel, i will come back to find out. I would like buy some. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RJRB Posted November 30, 2011 Author Share Posted November 30, 2011 funny thing running in to this thread just browsing Google . i am one of the last few fishing the conwy river for mussels only 4 of us left full time i supply a company conwy mussels who sell them to some fish markets in Birmingham and some place in Sheffield i don't know where tho , i will find out where they are sold for you guys tomorrow . not just saying it because i fish them but there is no other mussels like conwy`s we had a food festival here in October and food critics from London, Australia, and Canada and all said they were the best tasting mussels they have every had ,only downside we have is with the larger mussels people don't like the barnacles on them we still fish for them with long rakes very very hard back breaking work but i really enjoy it . i filmed a short video about 2 years ago and stuck it on you tube i cant add a link but just type in conw y mussels or welshboyjam and you will see how we fish for them Hope you keep at it as obviously we enjoy them.Why has it declined.Is it lack of demand or because it is such hard work? I like them just boiled with vinegar,pepper,bread and butter.I don't see the need for wine,cream onions etc,but how do you have them locally. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xdbx Posted November 30, 2011 Share Posted November 30, 2011 oh yes, need to know where in Sheffield for Conway mussels. Moules Mariniere with the farmed stuff is rubbish. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
welsh mussel Posted November 30, 2011 Share Posted November 30, 2011 Yes, there's a cafe on the pier in Bangor which sells them. He gets them Sunday morning and sells them Sunday afternoon and Monday. Not managed to find anywhere closer because they're all snapped up and exported. But I'll keep looking. There's a pretty good fish market in Birkenhead who are asking around for me. if you go to conwy on a weekend you can get conwy mussels from the lifeboat station on the quay . or conwy mussels co is open from 8am midweek till about midday . down on the quay Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
welsh mussel Posted November 30, 2011 Share Posted November 30, 2011 Hope you keep at it as obviously we enjoy them.Why has it declined.Is it lack of demand or because it is such hard work? I like them just boiled with vinegar,pepper,bread and butter.I don't see the need for wine,cream onions etc,but how do you have them locally. a lot of people and restaurants would rather buy rope grown for the clean shell and rope grown mussels can be bought and sold 12 months of the season in conwy we can only fish September to April so a lot of restaurants and markets want a steady supply 12 moths of the year and we cant do that yet . but we are in the talks with the fisheries here to get a 12 month season. and i like you prefer them just boiled ,and my dad has them in bread and butter 3-5 times a week sometimes more Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nagel Posted November 30, 2011 Share Posted November 30, 2011 a lot of people and restaurants would rather buy rope grown for the clean shell and rope grown mussels can be bought and sold 12 months of the season in conwy we can only fish September to April so a lot of restaurants and markets want a steady supply 12 moths of the year and we cant do that yet . but we are in the talks with the fisheries here to get a 12 month season. and i like you prefer them just boiled ,and my dad has them in bread and butter 3-5 times a week sometimes more Yes, the Scottish rope grown mussels are a lot cleaner and look neater. The Conway mussels have a large beard and are often barnacle encrusted so need more preparation so I can see why restaurants and supermarkets shun Conway mussels. But the Conway mussels are so superior in size and taste that anyone with any taste would prefer them. The supermarket rope grown mussels are tiny inside and tasteless - typical supermarket sanitised rubbish! What's the reason for the September to April season? Is it so the mussels can breed? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Hardie Posted December 1, 2011 Share Posted December 1, 2011 Yes, the Scottish rope grown mussels are a lot cleaner and look neater. The Conway mussels have a large beard and are often barnacle encrusted so need more preparation so I can see why restaurants and supermarkets shun Conway mussels. But the Conway mussels are so superior in size and taste that anyone with any taste would prefer them. The supermarket rope grown mussels are tiny inside and tasteless - typical supermarket sanitised rubbish! What's the reason for the September to April season? Is it so the mussels can breed? I think they can be dangerous if there isn't an 'r' in the month. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.