I’m finally back home after my travels in Spain, but I think I’ve permanently got an addiction to tapas. These fried mussels are a perfect snack to make whatever the weather, provided you can get decent mussels. There is only a few ingredients for this recipe, so it’s quite easy on the difficulty scale, but it is still a delicious seafood recipe.

For the fried mussels I used already shelled meat, as there’s no need for the shell if you’re gonna deep fry it anyway. My local market has vacuum sealed frozen mussels, which I find to be just as good as fresh provided I’m not doing a Moules au Roquefort or the like. All in all, you can make this dish in under 20 minutes, which makes it great for a tapas party, or as an appetizer for seafood night.
Ingredients
- 200 grams Mussels; sans shell. You can use black or green mussels, but since you are frying them it’s best to use the more affordable options.
- 2 Eggs
- 2 tbsp Flour
- 1 tsp Garlic Powder
- Salt; to taste
- Oil; for frying. I used Sunflower oil, but you can pick any neutral oil with a high smoke temperature as these are deep fried.
Instructions
- Begin by bringing a few inches of oil up to boiling. While this is happening, you can proceed to step 2.
- In a bowl, whisk together the egg and the flour, along with the garlic powder and a pinch of salt. The batter will be quite runny, but that’s fine as you don’t want such an overpowering batter with fried mussels as you won’t be able to taste the mollusc.
- Put all the mussels into the batter and mix it up with a spoon. Using tongs, drop the mussels into the oil 5-6 at a time and fry for about 10 seconds. It is very easy to overcook the batter, so always watch it. Remove the mussels with a slotted spoon or a spider strainer and put on a paper towel lined plate. Sprinkle with salt, and repeat until all the fried mussels are done.
- Optionally serve with cocktail sauce for a more hot and tangy flavor provile.
Notes
This batter is my standard one for frying shellfish, crustaceans, and the like. I find it works well with things that can also be eaten raw, as the 10 second frying time “cooks” the meat, but just barely.
You can add other seasonings to the batter to suit your needs. I personally like to add a bit of sumac when I am frying oysters with this same batter, as the earthy lemony flavor profile compliments them well.

Fried Mussels
Ingredients
- 200 grams Mussels without the shell
- 2 Eggs
- 2 tbsp Flour
- 1 tsp Garlic Powder
- Salt to taste
- Oil neutral. For Frying
Instructions
- Begin by bringing a few inches of oil up to boiling. While this is happening, you can proceed to step 2.
- In a bowl, whisk together the egg and the flour, along with the garlic powder and a pinch of salt. The batter will be quite runny, but that’s fine as you don’t want such an overpowering batter with fried mussels as you won’t be able to taste the mollusc.
- Put all the mussels into the batter and mix it up with a spoon. Using tongs, drop the mussels into the oil 5-6 at a time and fry for about 10 seconds. It is very easy to overcook the batter, so always watch it. Remove the mussels with a slotted spoon or a spider strainer and put on a paper towel lined plate. Sprinkle with salt, and repeat until all the fried mussels are done.