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Step 1:

Place the mussels in a sink of cold water.

Step 2:

Scrub with a stiff brush or scrape with the backof a kitchen knife to remove barnacles.

Step 3:

Grasp the beard — the fibrous clump — and pull out swiftly towards the hinge end.

Step 4:

Rinse and place in a bowl ready to cook.

Make it now

Try Celia Hay's recipe for Moules mariniere.