above: a mussel farm in Normandy at low tide, below: Jez’s Famous Saffron Moules

Speaking of things washed over by the tide, moules de bouchot were another new discovery for me this summer. They’re on the smaller side, with boldly orange meat, a firm texture, and a distinctively strong sweet flavor. These mussels are grown on tall wooden pilings, or bouchots: it’s a method of aquaculture that was discovered by accident and is (bewilderingly) only seen in northern France, where an Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée (AOC) has been granted for those grown in the bay of Mont-St-Michel. These posts don’t just act as bivalve corrals, they also allow the thick ropes of shells to be exposed to the air and the sun at low tide; this gives moules de bouchot their particular flavor and slightly thicker shell. Délicieux!