Mussels,
a method of cooking mussels in the
region
I
like, you like, we like, everyone likes mussels, nature, marinières or in
sauce Mouclade.
Then, you will also like the "éclade", it is the
official name for this method of cooking mussels but people from this
region generally say "la terrée".
Enjoy
the éclade or terrée with friends, in the garden. Do you want the recipe?
You will need 500 grams of mussels per person, a piece of wood about 50
cms by 50 cms, and a bag of pine needles, which you will go to collect
with the children, in the forest of Palmyre or somewhere else.
When the mussels have been washed, the hardest work will begin.
You have
to do a balancing act with them.
First of all,you need to stand the
mussels on the board stacked tightly together, with the pointed part of
the shell facing upwards.
A little trick to help you succeed ; put
half a potato in the centre of the board to hold the first mussels upright.
Once you get the first mussels in place, the rest is easy – you will
see !
Then you must cover all of the mussels with your pine needles
and strike a match to light them. Attention, please, set fire to the
mussels, not the house!
Lovely to look at, delightful to eat.
While
the mussels cook in their shells and in their juice (for a few minutes),
you should have prepared slices of fresh buttered bread or toast, with
slices of pâté or cold pork which will accompany this meal of mussels
beautifully.
Please, do not forget to provide a big basin of water nearby, not to
drink, but to rinse your fingers, because this gourmet menu is best eaten
with your fingers and the mussels are black - black after cooking.
Another
little bit of advice, please, wear appropriate clothes, nothing too
delicate! Enjoy your meal !
If you are not planning to eat mussels in the garden, it is better to go
and enjoy the éclade on the banks of Seudre in La Tremblade, where
friendly fishermen welcome you in their picturesque huts which they
transform in the holiday season into restaurants. I recommend the
restaurant ‘La
Bonne Renommée' or the restaurant of the Razé family to you.
The resorts organise huge éclades for holiday-makers. Let's go
there, it is very convivial and friendly.
Eclade de moules in Epargnes
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