Sardines get the fame. Mussels have the iron.

Fame takes years to earn; iron you can measure. And when you measure it, mussels have more than twice the iron of sardines, with a quarter of the fat and just as much omega-3.

A can of Finisterra mussels has 2.5 g of fat per 100 g; drained sardines in oil have 11.5 g. Mussels are naturally lean, and nothing goes into the can but the broth they release when steamed. What you get is a food that is low in fat, 0.8 g of it saturated, and high in protein: 21 g per 100 g, close to 80% of the calories. A whole can, drained, comes to 86 kcal.

Iron is where mussels pull far ahead: 7.2 mg per 100 g, half the daily reference value and more than twice what sardines offer, at 2.9 mg. In the legal sense of the term, they are high in iron. Iron contributes to normal formation of red blood cells and to the reduction of tiredness and fatigue.

Omega-3 is usually associated with oily fish. Mussels prove otherwise. Omega-3 is a family of fats, and the two that matter in seafood go by EPA and DHA: mussels carry 435 mg of EPA and 491 mg of DHA per 100 g, as much as sardines, and a single can delivers about 740 mg, three times the 250 mg a day at which EPA and DHA contribute to the normal function of the heart. DHA also contributes to the maintenance of normal vision and normal brain function.

Mussels are also among the richest foods in vitamin B12 there are: around 24 µg per 100 g, ten times the daily reference value. Vitamin B12 contributes to the normal functioning of the nervous system and of the immune system. They bring selenium too, around 90 µg per 100 g, more than a full day's reference value; selenium contributes to the protection of cells from oxidative stress and to normal thyroid function.

Why is this can the way it is? The ingredient list is two lines long: organic mussels and organic mussel broth. The mussels grow on ropes hanging in the open sea off Sagres, in water rated at the highest quality grade, and are canned at Porto da Baleeira less than 24 hours after they leave the sea. They have carried EU organic certification since 2016, and the farm was the first mussel farm in continental Europe to earn ASC certification.

Did you know that vitamin C increases iron absorption? Try a can of cold mussels with a squeeze of lemon. Or:

• warm, in rice or pasta, with the broth from the can;
• in a chickpea salad with red onion, cilantro and olive oil;
• on toast, with olive oil and pepper.

Put more iron on the table. Your body will thank you.