Label Rouge Mussels

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The Bouhot Label Rouge mussel is produced in the 3 basins: Charente, Brittany and Normandy. Its production is set by strict specifications.

The longline Label Rouge mussel is produced in Charente.

The Red Label guarantees a bigger size and a higher rate of flesh.

This mussel is bred at sea on suspended ropes. It has a very pronounced iodized taste du to its culture in the open sea. Compared to Bouchot mussels, it is slightly larger in size with a more sustained flesh color.

Since it is permanently kept under water, its shell is also more fragile.

The Bouchot mussel is grown only in France on wooden poles in the sea so that it is out of reach of predators. These poles are called bouchot.

This is the ultimate quality mussel: it is meaty and the flesh can take a yellow-orange color and its taste is unmistakable.

The bouchot mussels are easily identifiable: their shell is small, they are meaty and their flesh is often yellow or orange. There is no sand or parasite (crabs…) inside. Their taste is inimitable.

In order to protect consumers, mussel growers have registered the brand "Moules de Bouchot". Thus, bouchot mussels’ labels must have the official logo.

In addition, the sea farmers have implemented a quality approach for bouchot mussels. They chose the TSG, Traditional Speciality Guaranteed, in order to valorize the production of bouchot mussels and the traceability of this collective brand well known by the consumers.

Production Cycle of Bouchot mussel

Selling Periods

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

Jun

Jul

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

Bouchot

Longline

Depending on generosity of Nature, these periods may vary from year to year.

After harvesting, mussels are put in a pool of seawater to remove any impurities. Then nets have to be removed and mussels are cleaned and sorted by hand before packing.

Mussels are calibrated mechanically using a grid so that their thickness is at least 12mm.

Usually packing range is from 5 to 15kg. Mussels can also be packed in plastic tray under a controlled atmosphere for longer storage.

The byssus (from Greek bussos, fine linen) is a set of fibers made by the mussel in order to hang on.

A ready-to-cook mussel (RTC) is a mussel from which the byssus has been removed before packing. Thus you do not have to remove these filaments yourself and mussels can be put directly into the pan!