The size that makes the leap when you buy large mussels in escabeche

Between the snacking mussel and the special-occasion giant there is a middle ground that, for many people, is the best of the three. When you buy large mussels in escabeche you get tins of seven to twelve pieces: meaty enough to serve on a plate and plentiful enough to share without rationing.

Why this size is the most balanced

A giant mussel fills the palate but takes time to absorb the escabeche, because the sauce needs time to reach the centre of the piece. A small one soaks it up at once but falls short as a mouthful. The large size sits right in the middle: dense, velvety flesh, but with enough surface for the dressing to soak in well. It is the one that best achieves both at once.

Choose your tin

• The starting point: Cambados 8/12 in OL-120 format, La Brújula 8/10 and Ramón Peña 8/10 with the PDO seal. Large size at a reasonable price.
• Counted pieces: Ramón Franco 7/10, Real Conservera 7/9 and Rosa Lafuente with exactly 10 pieces. Fewer units, more size.
• Fried before marinating: La Brújula and Evama. Frying seals the piece and gives it a density a merely boiled mussel cannot reach.
• Top of the range: Escurís Premium 8/10, Paco Lafuente 8/10 and Los Peperetes 8/10, the top reference in the selection.
• Large format: the Escurís RO-280 tin, designed for hospitality or a long table.

Raft-grown mussels

Practically all Galician mussels are farmed on bateas, floating rafts from which ropes hang, with the mussel growing suspended in the water. It never touches the seabed, so it gathers no sand, and it feeds on the plankton of the ría. That is why Galician mussels have clean orange flesh, and why the large sizes are so prized: they are mussels that have spent longer on the rope.

Before serving

Room temperature, never straight from the fridge: cold thickens the escabeche and shuts in the aromas. At this size the mussel is served on a plate with its sauce on top, and bread is not optional.

Add your favourite tins to the basket and receive them in 24-48 hours.