These Fishwife Mussels with Sweet Pepper & Garlic came from Whole Foods. I've had a number of Fishwife tins so far, but this would be my first time trying any of their mussels. Let's see how they are.
Initial impression upon opening the can: 5/5.
Really nice looking shellfish. The sauce is a vibrant, deep red, which I'm hoping is an indication of complexity of flavor. There's not much in the way of an aroma. A sip of the sauce is unrevealing, a little tomato-y with a subtle note of maybe smokiness?
Let's Dive In
I probably would have preferred to have these with some pasta, but rice will have to do. I'm hoping the heat will help bloom and bring out the seasonings. To that end, I just dumped the entire contents into the bowl.
A quick count tallies 16 or 17 decent sized mussels, a good portion.
The mussels themselves are firm and meaty, but initial bites are not what I had hoped, flavor-wise. I'm getting mostly tomato, and little of the pepper or onion. There is nothing in the way of solid pieces of either. And least of all, none of the "zesty garlic" promised by the carton verbiage.
I see that "smoked spicy paprika" is apparently responsible for that first impression. But the small amounts of cloves and cayenne rounding out the ingredient list are, like the rest of the seasonings, woefully underrepresented.
I didn't find them at all salty, despite the listed 710mg. sodium.
Kind of disappointed here. Fishwife seasonings range from appropriately subtle to in-your-face spicy. I was expecting somewhere in-between, but ultimately don't think these really delivered on anything the carton promised, other than that they are good quality mussels. If they happen to be on sale, you might try them yourself, and see if you disagree.
Main Takeaways
- Good size and count mussels
- Bland sauce and MIA seasonings
Brand: Fishwife Tinned Seafood Co.
Description: Mussels with sweet pepper and garlic
Species: Mussels N/S
Country of Origin: Chile / Spain (packed)
Source: Farmed (Chile)
Skin/Bones: No/No
Net Wt: 4.2 oz.
Price Range: $9