In 1996, Salt Spring Island Mussels was founded. These mussels are started at their hatchery as seed and are moved to their nurseries to grow and eventually are transferred to the mussel farms in the cold Pacific. These mussels are a hybrid species between the ‘Gallo’ mussel, a highly sought-after mussels species native to the Mediterranean and popular in France, Spain and Italy, and the blue mussel, which is native to the Northern Atlantic.
These mussels are farmed in the waters near the Discovery Islands, as the waters are high in nutrients from ocean current movements and nearby runoff from streams and rivers, making an excellent place for shellfish to grow and thrive. The result is a beautifully coloured and shaped shell with a fresh flavour and high fill of meat inside each shell, making these mussels prized worldwide.
Mussels are cultivated, as are most mollusks in British Columbia, and the Salt Spring Island mussels are grown in the water attached to ropes that are attached to floating rafts. The mussels start as larvae and are fed phytoplankton while they are growing from seed and preparing to be transported to the farm location, and when that occurs, they attach themselves to the ropes, which are made of biodegradable fibers, using byssus attachments, thread-like structures that bind them to these ropes.
The team at the mussel farms put a lot of work into maintaining the farm’s pristine conditions, including cleaning and maintaining predator nets that protect the mussels and phytoplankton they feed on from bird and fish predators, maintaining the rafts that mussels grow from, and frequently diving to get a look at the condition of the farms from underwater and ensure all is well below the surface.
Finest at Sea brings in Salt Spring Island mussels every week from our shellfish suppliers, and we keep them in our live tanks which are specialized to maintain the ocean’s temperature, salinity, and PH levels, and the water circulates, oxygenating the water and keeping the shellfish alive. When you purchase mussels in our retail market, they come straight out of the live tanks and into your shopping bag, though we will always leave their bags open so they can access oxygen while you get them home to your fridge.
Mussels are an excellent source of lean protein and they contain a variety of essential vitamins and minerals, especially vitamin B12. Mussels must be cooked when they are live and you want to make sure they are open when you eat them, but since they come straight from our tanks to your table, they should all open in your pan and taste fresh. Our staff enjoy them with garlic and white wine, with a side of fries or crusty bread. Try Chef Anna’s preparation for a classic dish inspired by French cuisine that highlights and centers the flavour of the mussel.