Michael ‘Harry’ Harris has a motto: “Don’t try to do everything. Just do one thing and do it really well.” Looking at his beautifully meaty, juicy mussels, it’s safe to say he’s mastered the brief.
For more than two decades, Harris has been cultivating premium, rope-grown blue mussels in the unspoiled waters of the Flinders Aquaculture Fisheries Reserve on Victoria’s Mornington Peninsula.
Swept by the cold, clean swells of Bass Strait, this highly oxygenated marine environment provides the ultimate merroir for world-class seafood.
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Harris’ mussels thrive in the pristine water column, enjoying unrestricted access to nutrient-rich oceanic currents. The result is exceptionally clean, sweet and fat mussels that have become a prized ingredient across the Australian culinary scene – ultimately winning him the From the Sea Award at this year’s delicious. Harvey Norman Produce Awards. The standout harvest left Produce Awards National Judge and seafood expert Josh Niland “very impressed”, and fellow judge Alla Wolf-Tasker AM craving a bowl of fries to complete the perfect lunch.
“There is so much to love about these mussels: plump and delicious, great for the ocean and easy to cook,” says Jo Barrett, Produce Awards National Judge, chef and co-founder of Wildpie. “They are an ingredient to be embraced and celebrated. We are so lucky to have producers like Harry.”
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But it’s not just about the taste. Mussels are also one of the most sustainable proteins on the planet – they require no artificial feed or fertiliser, filter and clean the ocean as they grow, provide habitat for other marine life and even sequester carbon.
“In recent years, our focus in the ‘From the Sea’ category has extended beyond exceptional flavour,” Barrett says. “We look for producers who consider the bigger picture: ethical harvesting or growing practices and techniques, seasonality, the species they choose to champion, thoughtful packaging and the values that underpin their business.”
Underpinning all of this, of course, is quality. And this year’s winner has certainly delivered on every front.
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Despite expanding his lease holdings in 2018, Harris continues to operate as a hands-on, small-scale boutique producer; by only harvesting seasonally from late December through to winter, he ensures that every mussel pulled from the water is at its absolute peak – delivering a pure, unadulterated taste of the Victorian coastline. Renowned chef Jacques Reymond has said that he remembers Harris’ mussels as “the best mussel I have ever had in my life”.
But these mighty mussels aren’t just for top chefs and restaurants. During the season, you can find Harris selling mussels direct to the public from his boat on Flinders Pier. Buy them fresh to cook for yourself at home, or head to the carpark for Flinders Conchilia – the Flinders Mussels’ food truck that offers freshly cooked blue mussels in a napoli or laksa sauce, served with crusty bread.
“This producer is growing and harvesting something many of us wish every town still had: the chance to walk down to the pier and collect a kilogram of fresh Flinders Mussels straight from the source,” Barrett says.
“A connection between producer, place and community – this is often where lifelong appreciation for food begins.”
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