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datte-de-mer

date mussel

A shell of Lithophaga lithophaga on display at Museo di Storia Naturale di Pavia

Lithophaga lithophaga, the datte-de-mer or ‘sea date’ is an extremely tasty bivalve abiding in the Mediterraean, but so tasty it was very overfished and endangered and has been protected in France since 1992.

Other names are moule lithophage ‘rock-eating mussels’ and dactyle ‘finger’.

Fish and seafood

Text © Dana Facaros

Image by Hectonichus