Dear Paul et al.,
 
One day in the summer of 1986, when the scallops were scarce in St. Joe Bay
(Florida), a co-conspirator and I harvested about 200 Modiolus modiolus
squamosus Beauperthuy, 1967, processed them as a French chef might (sautéed,
chives, etc.) and finally presented these Horse Mussels to our hungry
families in the guise of store-bought "moules" (gourmetspeak for Mytilus
edulis Linnaeus, 1758).  This dish was consumed by all as if some epicurean
delight, and, I hasten to add, we two were as gustatorially gruntled as the
dupes.
 
As a kid, I was informed that Spisula solidissima (Dillwyn, 1817) was
inedible (by Hominids) and useful only as bait for indiscriminant
bottom-feeding fish.  A decade later Howard Johnson's launched their "Fried
Clam" initiative and fostered a Surf Clam (syn. Bait Clam) fishery from Nova
Scotia to Delaware Bay to provide millions of ravenous, but to this day
naive, travellers with a seafood delight.
 
Sic transit gustatus.
 
Harry
 
 
At 10:26 AM 3/29/99 -0500, you wrote:
>Modiolus mussels do occur worldwide.  I am not aware of their being
>raised for food like Mytilus, though perhaps some species in some
>countries may be.  Here in New England, the big mussel Modiolus
>modiolus is common, as well as the ribbed mussel Geukensia demissa,
>but no one eats either one of them, even though one Modiolus would
>provide 3 or 4 times as much "meat" as one Mytilus.  The reason -
>they don't taste good.  I have never actually tasted either one, but
>they do not enjoy the reputation for palatability that the Mytilus
>mussels do.
>Paul M.
>Rhode Island
>
Harry G. Lee                
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Suite 500, 1801 Barrs Street
Jacksonville, FL  32204     
U. S. A.    904-384-6419
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