Description
Ingredients: mussels (Mytilus galloprovincialis), olive oil, garlic, and chili.
WARNING: Cancer and Reproductive Harm — www.P65Warnings.ca.gov/food
The terms “spiced” and “spicy” are used pretty much interchangeably in the tinned fish world, to mean two different things: with a hot pepper (or hot pepper flavor), and with cloves/bay/carrot/hot pepper. There are many examples of both terms being used to mean both things.
We are so frustrated by how widespread this confusing inconsistent usage is that we’ve gone through our entire product line to correct the incorrect ones such that our description of “spiced” or “spicy” will always indicate which it really is, regardless of the packaging. “Spicy” = with hot pepper flavor. “Spiced” = with the cloves/bay/carrot/hot pepper flavors.
Hream McDan (verified owner) –
WOW, a gem. At this price, buy one before you read another word of this review.
Absolutely great tin, best spicy mussel I’ve had. High, high quality medium-sized mussels with perfect texture, no grit and no chewy bits … insanely flavorful and spicy oil that leaves you wanting for nothing … not only garlic flavor, but also 5-6 garlic *slices* in the bottom to add to your bites?! Unreal. I’d put the heat level in the 2.5+ range out of 5, it’s wonderful. Perfect to eat on mini-toasts.
An immediate, immediate favorite that ranks up there overall with much more expensive tins of mussels. It’s in my top 5 mussel tins, mayyybe even top 3 considering the price. Buy, buy, buy.
Anne Martin (verified owner) –
This was a great tin to share with family who wanted to try mussels from a can. The mussels were plump and smooth and the flavor of the mussel was not buried by the sauce, which was a nice addition. We added these as a pizza topping, using the sauce as well, to great success. This was not overly vinegar-flavored, as some sauces can be. Worth keeping on your list to pick up when back in stock. Would not hesitate to buy again.
luke (verified owner) –
Wonderful rounded garlic and chile flavors with the softer aspects of the garlic coming through as opposed to sharp and aggressive. Really compliments the mussels and supports rather than overpowering them. The heat is on the back end and really comes through as a nice afterburn to let the mussels shine. The mussels themselves are plump and tender without being mushy. Great mouthfeel. And the oil is addictive. Not ashamed to admit I stopped it up with some toasted bread. I think it would be a great mix-in for some warm rice too. Will definitely buy it again, what a bargain and treat.
rsilver710 (verified owner) –
These mussels have an amazing flavor and not very fishy. I poured the tin over some linguine to make a delicious pasta. The mussels had a great texture and I could drink the oil they’re in.
emosberger (verified owner) –
This was a wonderful tin and a worthy contender for best chili-garlic mussels I’ve ever had. Cracking the tin I was presented with a decent garlic aroma and the mussels were beautifully packed in reddish oil. Not wanting to waste any I drizzled some on some brown rice with chili-crisp I prepared for lunch.
The mussels themselves were wonderful- ate almost half of them straight from the tin. Perfect texture with no grit or funk to speak of. Decent amount of spice, noticeable without being overpowering and the garlic completed the seasoning perfectly. Was pleasantly surprised to find several garlic slices in the tin – those went into the rice along with the rest of the mussels and oil. What a wonderful lunch that was!
Although I would still consider Ramon Peña the king of chili-garlic mussels, Don Gastronom is a worthy contender for the crown. And it’s several dollars cheaper for an almost identical experience. Worth getting again, especially at its price/quality cost ratio.