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I buy mussels at Pusateri and Whole Food Market for a year in Toronto. They sell them on ice and dry, not in running water.

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10 s this video, Bart teaches add salt to cold water and soak for 20 mins. But I repeat 6 times...so 20 mins x 6 times = 120 mins of soaking!!! Mussels exudate less black grime every next time, but even after 6 times, water still has much black grime! See my pic under! Why? This happening for a year!

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Part 2, Step 2 has GIF that shows you what I mean.

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    What information are you looking for here? Seems the the answer is "I guess the mussels you're buying are really dirty." If you're looking for something else, maybe revise the question so it's clear what you want to know?
    – FuzzyChef
    Feb 2, 2020 at 20:21
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    FWIW, I personally scrub mussels with as stiff brush under running water, and don't soak them in salt water at all, which can kill them (since it's very hard to get the salt % correct).
    – FuzzyChef
    Feb 2, 2020 at 20:25
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    Hard to tell; you don't really explain how much dirt is coming off them with each rinsing, nor provide photos. If it's 1/2 tsp each time? Then sure, what's happening is the salt water soaking method isn't very effective. If it's 1/2 cup each time from 1lbs of mussels? Then something else is wrong.
    – FuzzyChef
    Feb 3, 2020 at 18:35
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    @Fuzzychef i uploaded pic now. what's the best ratio of salt to tap water? i try next time.
    – user24882
    Feb 22, 2020 at 0:34
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    But, from the look of it, your problem is "salt water soaking isn't a very effective way to remove dirt from shellfish"
    – FuzzyChef
    Feb 22, 2020 at 6:20

2 Answers 2

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If your mussels are really that dirty, scrub them well first, then soak them in fresh water + salt (about 35g per litre) - or sea water - and add a scant handful of ground oats. The oats are supposed to irritate the mussels and they'll purge it together with the sand, while the salt water will keep them alive.

It can take a long time to purge really gritty mussels (according to some sources, from 2 to 12 hours). I'm not sure how clean you expect your mussels to be, just make sure most of the sand is purged.

You should also ask the shop if the mussels have been purged before - it's usually the case.

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I am not an expert on this as with shellfish I have always expected a bit of grit. But the procedure I have always been taught and practice is to start as @FuzzyChef says, brush the exterior in running water to get that grime off.

Then you are trying to purge, not store, so purge them in fresh water, not salt. They are a salt water creature, not fresh, so long exposure to fresh water will kill them, but you are not giving them long exposure, you are giving them short. Over a short time, fresh water is an irritant for them and the theory at least is they respond by purging to get rid of it, and with it the sand and such that have in their lining or at least a good part of it. If on the other hand you use salt water, you reduce this irritate, or match their living ratio which make them happy and they wont purge. Or if you go way over, well you are creating a solution that at best matches the effect of fresh water but leaves you with an overly salty product, or worse kills them before they can purge.

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