These La Narval Mussels with Garlic & Chili were a little spendy. But, having been impressed by their Tuna Ventresca, I decided to "shell out" and get them.
Initial impression upon opening the can: 4.8/5.
Some nice looking shellfish here. Plump and swimming in olive oil (not EVOO, though) with a slight reddish tinge. The oil had the subtle aroma of garlic, and the color I attributed to the chili. Initially, I didn't find physical evidence of either in the can.
The La Narval website says to expect 12 to 16 mussels per can. I counted either 14 or 15. I didn't find the meat as inherently sweet as with some others, but they were tasty nonetheless. If, as they say, you are what you eat, then maybe the Galician Coast has some different phyto-plankton affecting the flavor of these.
If there was any heat, it was really way in the background. Maybe some Salsa Espinaler might have perked them up a bit, but I didn't have any at hand. They were enjoyable anyway.
At one point, I found what looked like a tiny kidney bean. Since I know mussels don't have kidneys or livers, I had to make a closer inspection. It turned out to be the smallest chile pepper I've ever seen.
Main Takeaways
- Appetizing appearance
- Sparse seasoning left us wanting something more
- Quality mussels, regardless
Best price on these is a little over $7 at World Market. Luckily, I have one nearby.
Brand: Don Gastronom/La Narval
Description: Mussels with Garlic & Chili
Species: Mytilus galloprovincialis
Country of Origin: Spain
Source: FAO27, Northeast Atlantic, Galician Coast
Skin/Bones: No/No
Net Wt: 3.9 oz.
Price Range: $7-8