Young, quick-growing mussels will have jet black shells and a good meat to shall ratio. Since our mussels are purged overnight in cold Maine Sea water, they are never sandy or gritty. Because all of our mussels are processed by European-style debyssing machines, they will have their beards removed and will be easier for the chef or home cook to prepare. Our mussels are hand-picked and inspected, so rarely will a broken shell or barnacled mussel make it off the processing line. We pack in false bottom boxes so iced mussels never sit in melted water.
Mussels are custom-packed each morning when the order is placed.
Trucks arrive at the airport in Boston or at East Coast transfer terminals each night insuring the freshest possible shellfish. They are very close to the littleneck clams or quahogs grown in southern waters and are differentiated only by their deep golden mahogany colored shell. Their unusual coloring is caused by a thin protein layer which protects the clams as they burrow into the ocean bottom. Our Maine mahoganies are harvested and brought to Great Eastern's Tenants Harbor processing plant where they are purged, culled, inspected for quality and packed in durable Styrofoam boxes. From there, we ship them fresh daily.