How to properly cook peeled mussels

How to properly cook peeled mussels?

• How are they useful?
• How to choose?
• Defrosting
• Recipes
  • Fried mussels
  • Belgian-style clams
  • Baked mussels
  • Marinated mussels in oil
  • Regular mussel appetizer
  • Mussels appetizer for beer

  Everyone knows about the usefulness and wonderful taste of seafood delicacies. And mussels are the most popular and affordable seafood. But not everyone understands how to cook them correctly. Especially shellfish. After all, the taste, smell and appearance of an exotic dish depend on the properties of their heat treatment.

  How are they useful?

  Mussel meat is a valuable source of microelements and vitamins. The muscles with the mantle and the insides of the mollusk are edible.

  They contain a huge amount of amino acids, such as tryptophan and methionine. The first element is responsible for the production of serotonin - the “happiness hormone”. And the second helps cleanse the body of heavy metals and toxins. These amino acids are not synthesized in the human body; they must be obtained externally.

  Of the micro- and macroelements, mussels contain a huge amount of calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, magnesium, selenium and others. And from vitamins – A, group B (B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, B9, B12), C.

  All this makes seafood an indispensable ingredient in a healthy diet line. And thanks to their low calorie content, shellfish are included in various diets.

  How to choose?

  It is more convenient to take shellfish without shells. They are faster and easier to manufacture. They do not need to be peeled, and the risk of acquiring a bad delicacy is reduced.

  The seafood should not have frost, ice fragments or any cracks in the ice shell. The presence of these flaws indicates that they have already been defrosted. This means that they have lost some of the necessary properties.

  The color of the product is also very important. High quality shellfish are light in color.

  It is believed that the larger the delicacies, the juicier they are. Therefore, when purchasing, you need to learn the numbers on the packaging. For example: 30/1 and 55/1. They mean the amount of seafood per kilogram. As a rule, you need to choose packages with the smallest numbers.

  It is better to know where the shellfish are grown. After all, they, like a natural filter, pass through themselves about 700 liters of water per day. If the water is from an ecologically unsafe area, then the inhabitants of the sea accumulate all these toxins (Toxin in ancient Greek (toxikos) - poisonous - poison of biological origin) within themselves.

  Defrosting

  Before cooking, shellfish must be defrosted. To maintain the desired properties, seafood must thaw evenly. To do this, they need to be released from the packaging and placed in the refrigerator.

  After the ice shell disappears, the seafood should be thoroughly washed. And it’s better to do this under a powerful stream of cool water so that the last remaining sand comes out.

  Recipes

  Mussels are baked, boiled, fried, and pickled. They are used to prepare main dishes, soups, salads, canapés, and sauces. And even julienne and pie innards.

  Heat treatment depends on where the dish will be cooked. In the oven, slow cooker, microwave or double boiler. But no more than 5 minutes, so that the shellfish meat remains soft.

  You need to keep in mind that when cooked, seafood emits a powerful fishy smell. To avoid this, it is recommended to sprinkle raw mussels with lemon juice and add fragrant spices to the broth.

  Fried mussels

  This special dish is prepared in a frying pan. Required products:

  • mussels – 800 g;
  • green beans – 400 g;
  • onions – 2 pcs.;
  • carrots – 1-2 pcs.;
  • garlic – 2-3 cloves;
  • butter – 80 g;
  • salt and white pepper.

  Vegetables must be finely chopped and fried until half cooked. Then add the washed seafood. This mixture should be simmered for a couple of minutes. Next add garlic, salt and pepper. Remove the pan from the heat, mix everything and let it brew for a little while.

  Belgian-style clams

  The main secret of this cooking recipe is semi-sweet snow-white wine. Other products:

  • mussels without shell – 400 g;
  • blue cheese with mold – 200 g;
  • low-fat cream – 600 ml;
  • leeks - 3-4 arrows;
  • wine – 600-700 ml;
  • Dijon mustard – 1 tbsp. l.;
  • Provençal herbs, salt, pepper.

  The wine must be boiled over low heat. Then add Provençal herbs, salt, pepper and shellfish meat to it. The purchased composition should be cooked for 5-6 minutes.

  The sauce is prepared separately. Add finely chopped leeks and Dijon mustard to the cream heated over low heat. Then send in the blue cheese, cut into small pieces. At the end, the sauce must be seasoned with pepper and cooked until creamy.

  Finished mussels must be poured with creamy sauce and served with any side dish.

  Baked mussels

  To prepare this unique dish you need:

  • 500 g defrosted seafood;
  • hard cheese – 200 g;
  • processed cheese – 2 packs;
  • heavy cream or sour cream – 300 ml;
  • garlic – 3 cloves;
  • chicken yolk – 1 pc.;
  • potato starch - 1 tbsp. l.;
  • flour – 1 tbsp. l.;
  • water – 800 ml;
  • pepper and salt.

  Mussels need to be thawed, boiled and dried with napkins.

  In the meantime, mash the cream cheese well with a fork, adding chicken yolk, starch and flour evenly. And then garlic squeezed through a press.

  Next you need to form a baking dish. The mold should be covered with food foil, greased with butter. Place a layer of boiled clams, and pour a layer of cream sauce. Finally, sprinkle with grated hard cheese.

  Marinated mussels in oil

  A special place in cooking is occupied by marinated seafood at home. This process requires the following ingredients:

  • mussels – 500 g;
  • onions – 1-2 pcs.;
  • hot pepper – 1 pc.;
  • garlic – 5-6 cloves;
  • vegetable or olive oil – 250 ml;
  • watery smoke - 1 tsp;
  • any spices and salt.

  First you need to prepare the broth, which will be used to make a unique sauce. To do this, throw the onion into boiling water, season with pepper, salt and keep on fire for about 15 minutes. Then add the watery smoke and the clams. After this, it is recommended to cook for a couple more minutes.

  In jars prepared in advance, you need to first put a layer of garlic and seasonings, and boiled mussels on top. The mixture should be poured with olive or vegetable oil, the container should be tightly closed and left in a cool place. After 10-12 hours, the seafood delicacy is ready.

  Regular mussel appetizer

  The following products are required for preparation:

  • mussel meat – 300 g;
  • onions – 2-3 pcs.;
  • vegetable or olive oil – 1-2 tbsp. l.;
  • sugar – 1 tsp;
  • wine vinegar – 2 tsp. (or lemon juice - 2 tbsp.);
  • salt, reddish and black pepper.

  First you need to create a marinade. Sugar, salt, pepper and lemon juice (or vinegar) must be mixed together. Then put the onion there and leave the mixture to steep for 1-2 hours.

  Next, the boiled seafood should be combined with pickled onions. Add oil, season everything with reddish pepper and salt. Store the resulting mixture in a tightly sealed container in the refrigerator for 7-8 hours.

  Mussels appetizer for beer

  Mussels can also be cooked with cheese. The result is a light, tasty and undemanding beer snack.

  Required products:

  • butter – 80-100 g;
  • garlic – 3 cloves;
  • hard cheese – 70-100 g;
  • salt and pepper.

  First you need to fry the garlic in butter. Next, put the shellfish there, add salt and spices. After 3-4 minutes of simmering, add grated cheese. That's all. The long-awaited dish is ready!

  To learn how to deliciously cook peeled mussels, watch the following video.

  How to deliciously cook frozen mussels - 9 different recipes to suit every taste

  In our century, cooking frozen mussels has become available even to residents of areas far from the sea coast. The popularity of these seafood is growing every year. This is justified not only by their taste properties, but also by their dietary value.

  Thanks to the special composition of minerals and vitamins, as well as the richness of easily digestible protein, seafood can even have a healing effect on the body. Therefore, the correct production of frozen and peeled mussels is of interest to almost all housewives. There are a huge number of recipes for this.

  Content:

  Making peeled mussels using various methods

  A wide range of recipes for cooking frozen mussels gives a wide choice. Starting with the usual “boil” and ending with “marinate”. Some people like to stew, bake or fry their meat.

  Gourmets even prefer to eat mussels raw. Naturally, everyone makes their own choice, but it is important to keep in mind that the mollusk absorbs what surrounds it in the reservoir. There is no point in relying on protection with lemon juice or seasonings. Different liquids are used to cook mussels. This could be fish broth, water or even dry white wine. If they are used in second courses, it is better to stew them in milk with vegetables.

  Some subtleties of cooking frozen mussels

  It's pretty easy to create. Just defrost them in cool water and wash them well under running water. The rest depends on the chosen recipe.

  In order for the prepared food to benefit the body, it is important not to be lazy and choose these seafood correctly. There is also a generally accepted rule - do not overcook the mussels (cook for 5 - 7 minutes) and do not overdo it with the amount of seasonings.

  Check out some recipes.

  How to cook deliciously peeled mussels in first courses?

  Most of the thoughts came to us from America. In this country, the inhabitants simply cannot live without watery soups with bivalves.

  To make a fragrant soup, you need to boil the mussels in water (you can leave it without defrosting for 5-7 minutes). After this, add diced baked or boiled potatoes with skin.

  Chopped tomato, several stalks of celery cut into cubes, onions and carrots are fried in the fat of previously fried bacon. Then they dilute with mussel broth, add garlic, bay leaf and thyme.

  After simmering for half an hour, combine everything with mussels and potatoes and cook for another 10 minutes. Serve with saltine crackers.

  How to cook frozen mussels as appetizers?

  Boiled mussels themselves are already a delicious appetizer. But by adding just a few goods, you can get the most delicious food.

  For example, some gourmets liked mussels in tomato sauce. Their preparation is easy.

  Crushed garlic cloves (a couple of pieces) are fried in olive oil. Add two medium tomatoes, cut into large slices.

  Sprinkle with a pinch of sweet paprika and simmer the resulting mixture for 8 minutes.

  After this, hot peppers and mussels are added and diluted with snow-white wine. After stewing for a very short time, remove from the heat.

  Such dishes should not be salted, because the mussels themselves already contain quite a lot of mineral salts.

  How to deliciously cook frozen mussels in Korean?

  It's very easy to create this treat. The neutral taste of mussels is perfectly suitable for oriental cuisine. To do this, we use lemon juice, crushed coriander grains, a pinch of salt, soy sauce, onion and nutmeg.

  After boiling the mussels for a short time in salted water, dry them on a towel. Marinate onion half rings in lemon juice.

  Make the marinade: mix soy sauce with grated nutmeg, coriander and lemon juice. Salt, then heat the mixture. After mixing all the ingredients, marinate in the cold for three hours. Afterwards you can treat yourself.

  Finger lickin' good - marinated mussels cooked over a fire

  To enjoy fragrant mussels using this method, you don’t need enough: a clean steel surface, a fire and desire.

  Pickled thawed mussels are placed in a foil bag, mixed with wine and finely chopped onion and garlic.

  Add a little butter and close. You can cook directly on coals. In a short time they will be ready.

  How to savory fry peeled mussels?

  There are many recipes for frying these frozen mussels. For example, some people prefer them with garlic, while others like seafood fried with onions. Gourmets will prefer to cook these seafood with wine. And there are those who simply prefer to create them with only seasonings. But, of course, one thing is that frying peeled mussels is a worthwhile task and, of course, delicious.

  A very popular recipe is to fry them in combination with a vegetable that causes tears (onion). Simmer the mussels in the melted butter, stirring constantly with a spatula.

  After the water has boiled away, it is better to add a little oil and keep them on low heat. Next, mix with chopped onion and bring until golden brown, continuing to stir with a spatula. Our dish is ready, help yourself.

  How to marinate frozen mussels (video)

  The usual recipe and good advice on how to marinate frozen mussels at home.

  Recipe: breaded fried mussels

  This method of cooking sea creatures is especially popular in Bulgaria. To prepare this dish, the following ingredients will be useful: 300 g of defrosted mussels, half a glass of dry wine (snow-white) and refined oil, flour (three tablespoons), one egg, a little salt, black pepper and lemon.

  Dry the mussels, thoroughly washed with cold water, and place them on a cutting board.

  Lightly sprinkle them with flour on both sides. Thanks to this, the breading will stick better.

  Beat the egg until foamy and mix with salt, pepper and wine. Continuing to beat, add flour evenly until the dough reaches the “pancake” mixture.

  After this, add the mussels to the mixture.

  After letting the dough drain, fry the shellfish in a deep saucepan.

  Place the mussels in hot oil and fry on both sides for 3-4 minutes each. When they acquire a dark golden color, remove them to a plate.

  Pour lemon juice over the hot mussels. The appetizing dish is ready. In the Balkans they prefer to eat it with ice-cold beer.

  The unique and tender taste of mussels conquered ruling families and the hearts of ordinary people. Tender and pleasant mussel meat is not only low-calorie and easy to digest, but also has a positive effect on the entire body as a whole.

  And although now almost all of us do not live by the sea, where this seafood is available in large quantities, we can still cook frozen mussels all the time..

  Mussels

  Marinated mussels “You will lick your fingers”

  Are you planning a picnic? Or a corporate event in nature? And you don’t understand what to cook, and you don’t have time, and you don’t want to mess around. I offer a win-win snack option that everyone will enjoy. You probably tried these mussels while vacationing in Crimea. It will take no more than 10 minutes to make. 10 minutes and you are the happy owner of the most delicious mussels in the world. Just don't forget to bring Kikkoman soy sauce with you.

  Pasta with mussels in creamy sauce

  Pasta and seafood lovers are welcome.

  Marinated mussels

  A mussel appetizer for seafood lovers.

  Rice with mussels in creamy garlic sauce

  This recipe can be described as follows: fast, simple and very tasty. Preparing such a dish will not be difficult, but it will certainly appeal to almost everyone’s taste, because there is fragrant rice, tender seafood, and what a garlicky herbal smell, and all this under a cheese crust. The dish is not only tasty, but also looks elegant due to the rice mix.

  Fluffy cakes “Mussels”

  These cakes are from my youth... in 1989 we flew to visit relatives in Tashkent... then there was still the Russian Alliance... not counting the memories of large watermelons and oval melons, palm trees, sweet peaches, Uzbek girls with a thousand braids , my mother and I brought the recipe for these cakes.. The empty counters were not spoiled with variety, but the skill of my mother’s hands constantly amused me with new goodies... and these cakes too))) Naturally, in those days there was no ready-made puff pastry, my mother made it herself... for a long time. and the mountain of cakes practically melted before our eyes... I offer the most common recipe that does not lose in taste.....

  Yeast-free buns “Mussels” with cottage cheese

  A day off means baking! I chose these buns - tasty, crispy, made with kefir, with entrails, made from cottage cheese. Both the drink and the cottage cheese are homemade, of good quality, tender, tasty, prepared with Oursson sourdough. Shall we try? The buns become especially tasty on the second day - crispy and creamy!

  Mussels in cream under the “cap”

  Seafood lovers will love it.

  Salad with mussels “Medium”

  A common salad. Even those who are indifferent to mussels or have an unreasonable hostility towards them like it. Many years ago it was tested on a company of fellow media workers. That’s why it’s called “MEDIA”.

  Chinese cabbage salad with mussels

  Unusual salad! Catchy, unique, fresh, juicy, light but satisfying, and quite addicting. Seafood lovers will definitely like it. Come in and help yourself.

  Julienne of mussels

  A very playful and tasty recipe for mussel julienne, with the addition of champignons.

  Mussels . Mussels are marine bivalve mollusks that are eaten. People also call them poor man's oysters or natural Viagra.

  It is clear that mussels are found in colonies. They live on stones, to which they stick using special threads. In ancient times, these threads were used to produce fabric (a medical system of cells and intercellular substance, united by a common origin, structure and functions) and sew clothes. Mussels began to be eaten as food back in Old Rome. Archaeological finds testify to this.

  Mussels vary in size (can be from 5 to 20 cm), in the color of the shells (colors range from blue-black to golden brown), and in the taste of the meat. Chefs can easily distinguish Black Sea and Mediterranean mussels from Far Eastern mussels by taste. The first ones have tender and soft meat.

  You can eat the muscle (this is the meat part of the mussel), the mantle and the liquid inside the shell. Before removing the meat from the shell, the mussels should be boiled.

  Mussels can be cooked in snow-white wine and various sauces: tomato, garlic, cream, coconut. In addition, they can be baked, fried, boiled, smoked, salted, pickled. Steaming mussels with the addition of wine, lemon and garlic is common. Mussel meat is often added to salads. You can serve them with vegetables, potatoes, pasta, and various cereals. They even make shish kebab from mussels.

  You should keep in mind the basic rule - mussels must be consumed immediately after cooking; they are not allowed to be stored. Mussel meat has the highest content of protein, microelements such as zinc, iodine, copper, manganese, vitamins (a group of low molecular weight organic compounds of relatively simple structure and varied chemical nature) .

  Secrets of consuming mussels:
  * they must be served with snow-white wine;
  * when making mussels, it is better to use sea salt;
  * traditional sauce for mussels is made from olive oil, lemon, herbs and garlic;
  * with similar success, mussels are mixed with virtually all products.

  How to cook frozen peeled mussels

  Peeled mussels without shells and shells are often sold frozen; they do not need to be peeled. Learn to cook them deliciously, then your loved ones will not argue that life is good without this mollusk.

  Mussels, as one of the most popular seafood, are famous for their nutritional value and beneficial qualities. But, having tasted the inhabitants of exotic mollusks in their shells, not almost everyone remains a fan of their taste. This is because this shellfish is not always cooked correctly. There are certain rules that are followed when cooking so that the shellfish becomes truly tasty. Let's figure out how to cook frozen peeled mussels so that their taste is wonderful and unforgettable.

  Useful characteristics of mussels

  These mind-blowing mollusks contain a huge amount of amino acids necessary for humans. For example, the amino acid tryptophan, which promotes the production of the hormone of joy. Mussel protein is superior in tryptophan, methionine, and keratin content to fish and meat proteins. A person needs to get methionine from food, since this amino acid is not synthesized in our body. These shellfish contain a lot of zinc, they have a beneficial effect on the health of our skin, nails and hair.

  For diet lovers, mussels are just a godsend. They contain a lot of protein, virtually no fat, and those that exist do not carry “harmful” cholesterol (an organic compound, a natural fatty, lipophilic alcohol found in the cell membranes of all living organisms, with the exception of nuclear-free ones) . Keratin reduces appetite, promotes the production of melanin and the reduction of fat, it improves the functioning of the adrenal glands, thyroid gland and pituitary gland (the pituitary gland is a brain appendage in the form of a round formation located on the lower surface of the brain in a bone pocket) . By adhering to different diets, you can eat delicious and unique dishes with this seafood without gaining weight at all. Calorie content – ​​100 kcal/1 kg of product.

  This is interesting! The average Dutch person eats approximately 10 kg of mussel meat per year.

  How to Select High Quality Frozen Mussels

  In order for the dish to be tasty and healthy, the ingredients must be fresh and of high quality. Here are some tips for choosing great mussels:

  • Frozen seafood should not have snow or cracks in the glaze of the ice. If there are such shortcomings, most likely the product has already been defrosted, and during the next freezing its useful characteristics were lost.
  • Cleaned frozen shellfish should be light in color
  • Choose the largest mussels - they are considered the most juicy and tasty. On packaging with this product, two numbers are always indicated through a fraction, which tell the buyer about the number of pieces of the product per kilogram, for example, 55/1 or 30/1. Therefore, the lower the 1st number, the larger the mollusks will be.
  • Mussels are a natural filter for the aquatic environment. They filter up to 700 liters of water per day. If shellfish are grown in environmentally polluted regions, they can accumulate a lot of toxins inside themselves. It is better not to use such a product, as there is a high risk of poisoning. When choosing a product, look at the production area on the packaging or, if you buy by weight, ask the dealer for a certificate of quality.

  This is interesting! From 1 kilogram of unpeeled mussels, approximately 100 grams of peeled mussels come out.

  Preparation for production

  Freshly frozen peeled shellfish must be thawed in the refrigerator. After this, wash them well in a colander under powerful water pressure, as there may be sand particles in the meat.

  How to prepare frozen peeled mussels: cooking methods

  Mussels are prepared using different methods: in a slow cooker, microwave, or steamed. They are boiled, fried, baked, pickled. They only need to be thermally treated for 3-5 minutes. This dietary seafood is used to prepare soups, salads, appetizers, and roast dishes.

  Tip: To prevent the smell of fish in the mussels, sprinkle them with lemon juice.

  Fried mussels with onions

  A very common method of preparation. The clams need to be steamed for 15 minutes. Heat olive oil in a frying pan and fry onions in it. Cut the blanched clams into small pieces and mix with fried onions. Salt and pepper. After 5 minutes the dish is ready.

  Here's a look at how to fry mussels in a frying pan.

  Mussels in Belgian style

  You need to pour 700 g of snow-white wine into a saucepan and put it on low heat, let the wine simmer for about one minute. Then we add a little Provencal herbs and send 400 grams of mussels there. Leave to simmer over low heat, stirring them in the pan from time to time. It takes 5-7 minutes to simmer.

  Sauce. In a small saucepan, heat the low-fat cream (500 ml) and add one tablespoon of Dijon mustard. Finely chop the leek and also add to the cream. Some cooks add a few capers along with onions. Cut approximately 200 g of blue cheese into small cubes and add to our sauce. Season with white pepper and bring the sauce until cooked, until it becomes thick sour cream.

  Place the mussels in a colander, place on a plate, pour over the sauce and serve.

  Mussels baked with cream sauce

  Boil the mussels in salted water for 3-5 minutes, then drain the water. For the sauce, mash 2 processed cheeses with a fork, add one chicken yolk, one tablespoon of flour, one tablespoon of starch, squeeze out 3 cloves of garlic and stir everything well until smooth. Add approximately 300 grams of cream to the resulting mixture, add salt and pepper and mix everything well again.

  Line a baking dish with foil or grease it with butter, and transfer the boiled shellfish into it. Pour the sauce over the dish and sprinkle grated hard cheese on top. Place all this in an oven preheated to 200° and bake until golden brown. When serving, sprinkle the dish with grated cheese again.

  Marinated mussels

  To prepare this seafood, heat treatment is not necessary; they are simply marinated. To make the brine, boil 1 liter of water in a saucepan, throw one peeled onion, one red pepper into the boiling water and add salt. Boil the brine for 15 minutes. Add one teaspoon of watery smoke, 0.5 kilograms of thawed peeled mussels and leave to cook for another 3 minutes.

  In a separate bowl, mix chopped garlic (1 head) and spices to taste. For example, 2 tablespoons of dry dill and one teaspoon of dark peppercorns are suitable.

  Remove the seafood cooked in brine from the pan. In a half-liter jar, add garlic and spices to the bottom and place shellfish on top. Fill everything with 200 milliliters of vegetable oil. After 12 hours, the fragrant marinated mussels are ready! They are served as a snack or used as an ingredient in other dishes.

  Making mussels in a slow cooker

  Setting the “Baking” mode, fry the thawed mussels in olive oil.
  Cooking in this mode is designed for 25 minutes, but frying is necessary for 15. After 15 minutes, add two new tomatoes crushed in a blender and 200 ml of low-fat cream to the seafood. Leave the dish in the multicooker until the end of the “Baking” mode, that is, for another 10 minutes. The excess liquid will evaporate, and the mussels will acquire a pleasant tomato-creamy taste. Such mussels are served with any side dish, for example, you can create a puree from baked celery root with butter.

  Pasta with seafood and cream sauce

  Pasta lovers will certainly appreciate the simplicity of this recipe, and the dish will become one of their favorites. Boil alternately in the same water: 200 g mussels, 200 g shrimp, 200 g squid. Cooking any seafood – 5 minutes. When all the seafood is cooked, do not pour out the broth; we will need it for the sauce.

  In a large frying pan, fry 4 huge cloves of garlic in butter. When the garlic gives off a smell to the oil, take it out and throw it away. Place 500 g of pasta, cooked until half cooked, into the fragrant oil. Add boiled seafood there, salt and pepper to taste and add 200-300 ml of the broth in which the seafood was cooked. All this must be mixed well, cover and cook for 10 minutes.

  Sauce. For the sauce you will need 150 ml of seafood broth, 150 ml of low-fat cream. All this must be salted and thickened over low heat with 1-2 tablespoons of flour.

  Serve pasta with cream sauce on a large plate. Before serving, garnish the dish with parsley sprigs.

  Mussels appetizer for beer

  A beautiful snack to go with beer – fried mussels with cheese. This appetizer is prepared very simply and quickly.

  So, heat 100 grams of butter in a frying pan, add 3 cloves of grated garlic to it. The garlic should be fried a little to impart the smell to the oil. Next, use a slotted spoon to carefully remove the fried garlic from the frying pan. We immerse our shellfish in the fragrant oil. Season everything with salt, pepper and fry over high heat for 2-3 minutes, stirring constantly. Add grated cheese to the pan, mix well and cook for a minute until cooked. Beer snack is ready! Bon appetit!

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