Musselsoup Recipes

MUSSEL SOUP WITH TOMATOES

Steps:

• Pour about 1 cup of salty water -- ideally boiled seawater -- into a large, wide pot with a cover and bring to a boil. Add the mussels and steam until they all open, about 3 to 5 minutes. NOTE: If you are using wild mussels, you will need to scrub and debeard them all first.
• When the mussels are open, pick out the meats of all but your "show mussels" and put in a bowl. Toss with a little olive oil and set aside. Strain the mussel broth through cheesecloth or a paper towel into another bowl.
• In a soup pot, get the olive oil hot over medium-high heat. Add the shallot and sauté for 2 minutes, stirring often. Add the garlic and sauté another 2 minutes.
• Pour in the mussel broth, tomatoes and cayenne and mix well. Simmer uncovered for 10 minutes. You can puree this mixture and run it though a sieve to make it a refined soup, or leave it rustic. Your choice. Add the mussels and cook for another 3 minutes. If you're using the cherry tomatoes, add them at the last minute.
• Garnish with the parsley or cilantro, and drizzle a little balsamic vinegar over everyone's bowl.
• Serve hot with a nice medium-bodied Italian red, a dry rose or an amber beer. Be sure to have lots of crusty bread to serve

CREAM OF MUSSEL SOUP

Steps:

• Tap mussels; discard any that do not close. Set aside. In a stockpot, combine the onions, celery, water, wine or broth, clam juice, parsley, garlic, salt and pepper. , Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; add mussels. Cover and simmer until mussels have opened, 5-6 minutes. Remove mussels with a slotted spoon, discarding any unopened mussels; set aside opened mussels and keep warm., Cool cooking liquid slightly. In a blender, cover and process cooking liquid in batches until blended. Return all to pan. Add cream and reserved mussels; heat through (do not boil).

MUSSEL SOUP

Steps:

• Put the mussels, wine and shallots in a saucepan and turn the heat to high. Cover and cook, shaking occasionally, just until the mussels open, about 5 minutes.
• Remove the mussels with a slotted spoon and strain the broth; set aside.
• Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the leeks and cook until fragrant and softened, about 5 minutes.
• Stir in the garlic and crumble the saffron into the saucepan. Pour in the reserved mussel broth, cayenne and enough water to make 5 cups of soup.
• Add the cream, if you are using it. Bring to just a boil, then turn off the heat and season with lemon juice, salt and pepper.
• Arrange mussels in soup bowls and pour the hot broth over them.
• Garnish with basil and chervil if desired.

TOMATO MUSSEL SOUP

Steps:

• Heat olive oil in a large enameled casserole. Add onions, carrots, celery and garlic. Cover and simmer, stirring on occasion, for 10 minutes or until really tender. Add the white wine and reduce by half. Add the tomatoes and their juices and simmer for 20 minutes to mellow the flavor. Add the mussels, cover the casserole and cook over high heat until they open. Discard unopened mussels. Spoon mussels and their liquid in deep bowls and garnish with basil. Could also serve over pasta or rice or with a potato salad.

MUSSEL SOUP

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• In a medium pot, combine the mussels, wine, water, lemon juice, bay leaf, and crab boil, and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce the heat, and simmer until the mussels have opened, 5 to 6 minutes. Remove from the heat and discard any unopened mussels. Strain the cooking liquid through a strainer lined with cheesecloth into a clean container. Remove the mussels from the shells and set aside. Discard the shells.
• In a large pot, cook the bacon over medium heat until just golden and starting to crisp, about 3 minutes. Add the onions and leeks, and cook until soft, about 4 minutes. Add the garlic, salt, and cayenne, and cook, stirring, for 30 seconds. Add the bay leaves and thyme, and stir well. Add the strained mussel cooking liquid, the potatoes, milk, and cream and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer until the potatoes are tender, about 12 minutes. Discard the bay leaf and thyme sprigs. Add the cooked mussels and simmer until warmed through. Remove from the heat and adjust the seasoning, to taste.
• Meanwhile, place the bread slices on a baking sheet and rub on both sides with the garlic cloves. Bake until light golden brown, turning once, about 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool slightly. Ladle into soup bowls, garnish with the parsley, and serve with the garlic croutons.

CREAMY MUSSEL SOUP

Steps:

• Scrub mussels and remove hairy beards from them. Heat a small amount of olive oil in a fry pan, add onion and garlic and cook until onion is soft. In a small pan cook bacon until browned then drain on absorbent paper.
• In a large saucepan add enough water that will cover mussels and bring water to boil. Add mussels to pan, cover and cook for a few minutes or until mussels open. drain and discard any mussels that do not open. (I cook mussels in a separate pan so that any sand or grit that has not been washed off does not end up in my soup). Remove shells completely from some of the mussels, remove half the shell from others and leave some complete. This is for presentation and ease of eating.
• Wash saucepan and return to medium heat combine wine, lemon juice, water, both stocks, and onion garlic mixture, bring liquid to boil then reduce heat to a simmer, add cream and bacon. Remove pan from heat. In a bowl lightly beat egg yolks and add a few tablespoons of soup mixture to egg and mix, then add to soup, return pan to a low heat add mussels and basil and stir until heated through.
• Serve with a mixture of soft cut french loaf and fried french loaf.
• For fried.
• Cut a french loaf into slices, crush a couple of cloves of garlic and mix with butter. Spread garlic butter on both sides of bread and fry until golden brown on both sides.

A MUSSELS SOUP FROM BOSA

Steps:

• 1. Cut away any protruding tufts from the mussels. Set aside any whose shells are even slightly open and tap them sharply. Check them after 2 or 3 minutes and throw out all those that are still open. Drop the mussels in a basin or large bowl full of cold water, move them around a little bit, then let them settle for a few minutes. Retrieve them without stirring up the water. Pour the water out slowly to see if any sand has collected at the bottom. If any has, rinse out the container, refill it with fresh cold water, and drop the mussels into it again. Repeat this procedure until the water runs clear.
• 2. Pour the olive oil into a 6-quart saucepan, add the garlic, turn on the heat to medium high, and cook the garlic, stirring occasionally, until it becomes colored a light gold. Add the parsley, stir two or three times, then add the bread crumbs, stirring for a few seconds.
• 3. Put the drained mussels in the pot, turn them around a bit, then cover the pot. Uncover after a few minutes, add the grated pecorino cheese, stirring it well into the pot.
• 4. Add the white wine, let it bubble away briskly for two to three minutes, then put in the tomatoes and the chili pepper. Turn the contents of the pot over two or three times and continue to cook for 10 to 15 minutes.
• 5. Place a slice or two of toasted or grilled bread in each individual soup bowl, distribute the contents of the pot over the bread, and serve piping hot.

APPETIZER MUSSELS

Steps:

• In a stock pot, combine the wine, juice cocktail, garlic and pepper flakes. Bring to a boil and add mussels.
• Cover and continue to boil for about 4 to 6 minutes or until all the mussels have opened. Discard any mussels that haven't opened.
• Remove mussels from liquid and keep warm. Pour off liquid to leave about 1 cup. Try not to discard the garlic. Boil the 1 cup of liquid until it's reduced to about 3/4 of a cup.
• Add butter and stir until butter has melted and sauce has thickened slightly. Serve mussels with sauce.