Black Sea: description, use, recipes

Many have heard about the benefits of marine products. The Black Sea mussel possesses the same properties, which today is not only for the taste of gourmets of sea products, but for everyone who has tried them at least once. Especially popular this product is among those who watch their health, because the mussels are quite nutritious and at the same time have low caloric value, which is very appreciated.

The main habitat for mollusks is the seabed, but in the modern world there are specially equipped farms, on which mussels are cultivated artificially.

The habitat of the mussel

The Black Sea mussel, the description of which you can see in our article, is a resident of sea waters, a bivalve mollusk. It has a shell elongated-oval in shape, outside smooth to the touch.

Midia Black Sea lives in colonies, most often on stones in the coastal zone, attaching to them with the help of special threads - the bisus. It feeds on plankton, passing a huge volume of water through the sink.

A large number of mussels is explained by the fertility of female individuals. Thus, during spawning, one individual is able to postpone up to 20 million eggs, from which the larva-like individuals hatch approximately the next day. Media is distinguished by its excellent adaptability to life with sudden changes in the salt level in water and its temperature.

The described mollusks differ from each other in size, shape and duration of the life cycle. For example, on average, the Black Sea mussels can live up to 6 years, the northern mussels up to 12 years, and the Pacific mussels - 30 years. By the way, there were cases when pearls were found in some shells of the Black Sea mussels, but this is a rather rare phenomenon.

Places of permanent habitat for mussels are the temperate and tropical waters of the ocean. And best of all they breed in the waters of the Black Sea. In some countries, there are farms for growing mussels in an artificial environment. The first who independently raised them were sailors from Ireland, in the 13th century.

Scope of mussels

Midia Black Sea, benefit Which consists not only in the purification of sea waters, is also used as a food product. It can be boiled, fried, baked with vegetables, steamed, smoked and added to other foods. Today this seafood is quite popular in many countries of Europe.

For consumption in food, it is necessary to carefully select mollusks with an entire shell, without any damage. It is important to know that only tightly sealed shells are used. The Black Sea mussel opens under the influence of high temperature, and if this does not happen after the treatment, it must be discarded.

For preparation, the fleshy interior, mantle and liquid of the shell are used. The meat of the mollusc has a light, delicate color, soft consistency, sweet taste and a pleasant aroma. Midia Black Sea, a photo of which can be seen in the article, is ideal for adding to potatoes, various kinds of cereals, pasta, it is often cooked with vegetables and added to salads. And connoisseurs add mussels to soup, stew, to pilaf, pasta and even soufflé. In addition, they are part of many delicious sauces.

It is important to remember that mussel is a product that must be eaten immediately after preparation. It can not be stored in the refrigerator for the purpose of re-heating, since it is fraught with severe poisoning.

Useful properties of the product

Specialists say that the mussel is a natural protein that can compete with beef and fish. It is the shellfish that has the richest and most useful composition. Thus, the meat of mussels contains the greatest amount of omega-3 fatty acids, vitamins and minerals, namely:

• Most of the vitamins B;
• Vitamin C;
• Folate, iron, phosphorus, manganese, selenium and zinc.

Using mussels in a small amount, you can speed up the metabolism, get rid of fatigue, depressive state, loss of energy and loss of vital energy. All this provides the vitamin B present in the product. Selenium ensures the functioning of the immune system, especially it is important for the thyroid gland. Manganese is responsible for the integrity and density of bone tissue, as well as for energy production. Use of mussels is recommended for certain blood diseases.

Midia as a dietary product

Specialists, studying the dietary properties of products, came to the conclusion that the meat of mussels provides the body with protein at the same level as red meat. But at the same time the marine product has less fat, which means it does not increase the level of cholesterol. Midia Black Sea has about 75% of caloric value in relation to beef and almost 3 times more contains the necessary for the heart system of natural protein.

Cardiologists are confident that the omega-3 contained in the meat of mussels is one of the most powerful natural cardioprotectors. Regular use of this product reduces the risk of developing many heart diseases, in particular, prevents arrhythmia.

Scientists say that 100 grams of mussels can provide the body with a daily intake of all the necessary vitamins, minerals and fatty acids. In addition, seafood positively affects the formation of a slender figure, since they do not contribute to the formation of fat cells in the body.

Contraindications and harm

Despite the rich composition and benefits of this marine product, there are cases when mussels are contraindicated to consumption, namely:

• With individual intolerance to marine products;
• At problems with coagulability of a blood.

It must also be remembered that the absence of contraindications is not only a meat of mussels, because their excessive use can cause certain consequences for a person.

One should not lose sight of information about the ability of mussels to purify the waters of the sea, and therefore, to accumulate harmful substances. Therefore, it is worth buying and preparing live mussels to be sure of their freshness. Frozen food can also be consumed, but only from proven manufacturers.

Midia Black Sea: cooking recipes

Stewed meat of mussels with vegetables, which we offer to your attention, means the preparation of 2 portions. It is necessary to take:

• 400 g of meat of mussels;
• One carrot;
• A large onion;
• 1/2 tsp. Salts;
• 2 cloves garlic;
• A sprig of leek;
• 2 tbsp. L. Vegetable oil.

Mine and clean the cockleshell mussels from the contaminants. Separate the meat - for this shell can be lowered into boiling water for 7 minutes. (Until full disclosure). And to weld frozen mussels, it will take no more than 10 minutes.

Next, put the onion and fry on the pan with vegetable oil, add the carrots grated on a large grater and also roast a little. Ready meat mussels, if necessary, cut and add to the frying pan to fry. Then chop the leek and add it there. During cooking we constantly stir products. Already at the end, garlic is squeezed through the garlic to make the dish fragrant. Pepper, salt, add the spices to your liking. The dish is ready for use! When serving it you can decorate with greens.

Noodle soup with mussels

Ingredients:

• 100 g of meat of mussels;
• 1-3 onions;
• 20 g of parsley root;
• 20 g of butter;
• noodles;
• Salt, pepper, spices.

To make soup you need to take pre-cooked meat mussels, chop and fry along with onions and parsley on butter. At the same time, boil a few minutes, in pre-boiling and salted water, noodles, then drain the water and rinse it.

In a boiling broth with noodles, add fried mussels with onions and noodles, cook everything until complete preparation. Spices are used to taste. Before serving, you can decorate the soup with chopped herbs.

Mussels with rice and vegetables

It will take:

• 1/2 tbsp. Round rice;
• 2 kg of mussels with shell;
• 3 pcs. Sweet pepper;
• 2 large tomatoes;
• 5 green bulbs;
• Spices, lemon;
• butter;
• Hard cheese.

For cooking it is necessary to wash rice, boil it in salted water. Welded rice washed and discarded in a colander. Clean mussel shells from dirt, rinse thoroughly.

In the frying pan, put a little butter, when it melts, add finely chopped onion and fry. We cut the sweet peppers with strips and add them to the frying pan, fry them all for several minutes, stirring constantly. During this time the pepper becomes soft and light. In the frying pan add sliced tomatoes, fry, salt, pepper to taste.

On another heated frying pan lay mussels and cover with a lid. It is necessary to drain the foam formed under the lid and fry until the shells are fully opened. Open the mussels seasoned with spices to taste and pour with lemon juice.

We clean the meat from shells, removing excess garbage, a few open shells are left for decoration.

Next, mussels mixed with fried vegetables and langued on a small fire for several minutes. Then we mix everything with rice, give it time to warm up. We put the prepared dish on plates, sprinkle with greens and grated cheese. We decorate mussels with a seashell and serve.