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Mussels substitute

Best substitute

Clams (littleneck or manila)

Use the same amount by weight, in the shell as the mussels you are replacing

Best for moules frites

Different texture

Mussels do three things: they give you sweet tender meat, they release a generous amount of briny liquor that becomes the broth, and their open shells are the presentation in paella and cioppino. Clams are a near-perfect swap at 1:1 by weight, though they need 2 to 4 extra minutes to open. Cockles are interchangeable. If you use shrimp or scallops instead, they add no liquor, so pour in half a cup of bottled clam juice or fish stock per pound replaced or the broth will taste thin.

Other mussels substitutes

Ranked, with the exact amount to use

Substitutes for Mussels with ratios

  1. 2Cockles

    Close match

    Use the same amount by weight

    Cook exactly as mussels, checking after 3 minutes since the small shells open fast.

    What changes

    Soak first, because cockles carry more sand.

    Best for
    paella, seafood stews, steamed shellfish, pasta

    Nearly interchangeable and often cheaper. Cockles are smaller and sweeter with a firmer bite, so you get more shells and less meat per pound, and the broth ends up delicate rather than deep. Very good in paella specifically, where the shells matter as much as the meat.

  2. 3Shell-on shrimp + clam juice or fish stock

    Different taste

    Use the same amount by weight, plus ½ cup clam juice or fish stock per lb of mussels replaced

    Leave the shells on for paella and cioppino so you keep the visual and the shell flavor, and add the shrimp in the last 3 minutes.

    What changes

    Add the clam juice with the other liquid.

    Best for
    paella, cioppino, seafood stew, tomato-based broths

    Shrimp handle the sweet chew and the presentation well. What they do not do is give up liquid, and since mussel liquor is a big part of why these dishes taste of the sea, the added stock is essential rather than optional. Without it the broth is oily and one-note. Flavor-wise the dish leans sweet and shrimpy rather than briny.

  3. 4Bay scallops or quartered sea scallops

    Taste and texture differ

    Use the same amount by weight

    Fold them in during the last 2 minutes, or sear separately and add at the table.

    What changes

    Never let them boil.

    Best for
    seafood stews, chowders, creamy pasta, gratins

    Softer and much sweeter than mussels, so the dish gains a creamy delicacy and loses its briny edge. Season more assertively and add clam juice if you have it. Scallops go from tender to squeaky in about 90 seconds of hard heat, which is why they belong at the very end of a long-simmered stew rather than in it.

  4. 5Squid rings

    Taste and texture differ

    Use the same amount by weight

    Add rings in the final 2 minutes for tenderness, or at the very start of a 40-minute braise.

    What changes

    Anything in between and they turn rubbery.

    Best for
    cioppino, paella, tomato seafood stews, fideua

    Chewy-tender and mild, and it keeps the dish feeling like a proper mixed seafood stew. Squid releases only a little liquid and no brine, so add clam juice or fish stock to make up the broth. The flavor is far more neutral than mussel, which means the tomato and saffron come forward.

  5. 6Canned smoked mussels, stirred in at the end

    Taste and texture differ

    Use One small tin with its oil for every 1 lb of fresh mussels

    Chop roughly and stir into the finished broth off the heat, using the oil too.

    What changes

    A pantry answer when no fresh shellfish is available.

    Best for
    tomato broths, chowders, pasta sauces, dips

    This delivers concentrated mussel flavor, which none of the other swaps can. The catch is the smoke, which is assertive and will dominate a delicate white wine broth, so use it in a tomato-based dish where it reads as depth. Start with half the tin and taste, and skip any additional salt until you have.

  6. 7King oyster mushroom slices + kombu (shellfish-free)

    Different taste

    Use the same amount by weight, plus a 3-inch strip of kombu in the broth

    Slice the stems into 1/2-inch coins, score them lightly, brown hard in oil, and simmer the kombu in the wine or stock for 10 minutes before you build the dish.

    What changes
    Best for
    vegan moules-style broth, shellfish allergy versions, vegetarian stews

    Real chew and a savory depth, with the kombu doing the marine work. It genuinely tastes of the sea and it does not taste of mussels, and it is worth saying so plainly. Shellfish allergy is common and serious, so if that is why you are swapping, keep mussels, clams, oysters, shrimp, crab, lobster and squid all off the list and do not reuse a broth that held any of them.

What is Mussels?

Mussels is Mussels, sometimes written as a single mussel, called moules in French, and often sold as rope-grown PEI mussels, are thin blue-black shelled bivalves with plump cream-to-orange meat, sold live in mesh bags and cooked until the shells pop open.

Cooking tips

  • Before cooking, tap any open mussels. If one does not slowly close, throw it out. After cooking, discard any that never opened. The same rule applies to clams and cockles.
  • Mussels give up a lot of liquid, so recipes written for them tend to be light on added stock. If you swap to shrimp, scallops or squid, add half a cup of clam juice or fish stock per pound to rebuild the broth.
  • If the open shells are the whole look of the dish, only clams and cockles will do. For everything else, plan a different presentation rather than hoping shrimp will look like moules.
  • Farmed rope-grown mussels such as PEI need almost no cleaning and rarely have beards. Wild ones do, so pull the beard toward the hinge and give the shells a scrub.
  • Cook mussels hard and fast with the lid on. Five to seven minutes over high heat is usually enough, and every extra minute shrinks the meat and toughens it.

Frequently asked questions

Can I just leave the mussels out?

In cioppino, paella or a Thai curry, yes, and the dish still works if you increase the shrimp, fish or squid and add half a cup of clam juice per pound of mussels you dropped. In moules frites or moules mariniere you cannot, because the mussels are the dish and their liquor is the sauce.

Are clams a good substitute for mussels?

Yes, the best available. Swap 1:1 by weight, remembering that clams take a few minutes longer to open, so start them earlier. Expect firmer, chewier meat and a saltier, more mineral broth, so taste before adding salt.

What can I use instead of mussels if someone has a shellfish allergy?

King oyster mushroom coins or torn oyster mushrooms browned in oil, with a strip of kombu simmered in the broth for the sea flavor. Do not substitute another shellfish, since shellfish allergies cross between species, and do not build the dish in a pot or broth that previously held shellfish.

How many mussels equal a pound of clams or shrimp?

Work by weight in the shell, 1:1, since the recipes are written that way. A pound of mussels in the shell yields roughly a quarter pound of meat, so if you are swapping to shelled shrimp or scallops, about 4 to 5 ounces of shelled meat replaces a pound of mussels.

Can I use canned or frozen mussels?

Frozen cooked mussels on the half shell work well in paella and tomato stews, added in the last few minutes just to heat through. Canned smoked mussels are a different product, powerfully flavored and best stirred into a robust tomato broth in small amounts rather than used as a straight swap.

Related substitutes

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