The Ultimate Local's Guide to the Best Mussels in Brussels

With unrivalled skill in the matter, Belgians steam and serve juicy shellfish in a casserole pot. Fries and local beers to accompany the dish are a must. Mussels are fun to eat – prise the meat out of its shell using an empty one as pincers, before throwing the empties into a deep bowl. Cooks need to be scrupulous when it comes to mussels. One rotten mussel can be poisonous, so choose a trustworthy restaurant that knows how to properly cook these delicious shellfish.

Mussels are surprisingly easy and fast to prepare, and you can find plenty of recipe inspiration online. Ideally, mussels should be fresh – meaning alive – when you buy them. Often, they’ll already have been washed, so the first step in selecting which ones to cook is to immerse them in cold water: those that don’t close by themselves after a few minutes are probably dead and should be thrown away. You don’t need much water to boil mussels as it’s the steam that cooks them. The casserole should only be filled halfway as mussels double in size when they open, which they’ll do when cooked, signalling that they’re ready to be served. And voilà, an authentic Belgian speciality at home.