Saffron Mussel Soup
Enhance your culinary repertoire with this exquisite dish—Saffron Mussel Soup. Don't be discouraged by the list of ingredients; it involves the basic method of preparing mussels in the marinière style and layering it with the technique of making a velouté-style soup. The saffron and cream beautifully complement the natural richness of the mussels, resulting in a silky texture that you’ll want to savour.
Ingredients
- 1 kg 2.2 lb fresh mussels
- 20 g 0.7 oz unsalted butter, to cook the mussels
- 40 g 1.5 oz finely chopped shallots
- 1 handful of chopped parsley plus more to garnish
- 150 ml dry white wine
- 30 g 1 oz unsalted butter, to cook the onions
- 1 onion finely diced
- 1 small carrot finely chopped
- 1 leek white part only, finely sliced
- 1 fennel bulb finely diced
- 20 g 0.7 oz all-purpose flour
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 sprig of thyme
- 500 ml 2 cups premade seafood or fish stock, or a homemade one
- Pepper to season
- 100 g 3.5 oz tinned chopped tomatoes
- 1 star anise
- 120 ml 1/2 cup heavy cream
- One pinch of saffron threads chopped finely
Instructions
- Heat the butter in the pot over medium heat. Add the shallots and cook for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the parsley and wine and increase the heat to high to bring the liquid to a boil.
- Add the mussels to the pot, ensuring they are coated in the liquid by stirring with a wooden spoon. Cover the pot with a lid and cook the mussels for 6 minutes, shaking the pot occasionally.
- Once the mussels are cooked, transfer them to a bowl and set them aside.
- Filter the remaining cooking juices through a fine mesh sieve, or cheese cloth, into a bowl to remove any grit and reserve the liquid.
- In a separate pot, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the onions and cook for two minutes before adding the carrots, leek, and fennel. Cook the vegetables on low, stirring occasionally, until they become soft and translucent (approximately 5 minutes). Now stir in the flour to thicken the ingredients slightly, then add the thyme and bay leaves.
- Pour the mussel cooking juice and fish stock into the pot with the vegetables, followed by the chopped tomatoes. Stir to combine the ingredients and bring to a boil. Add a sprinkle of pepper and simmer for 15 minutes to concentrate the flavors and thicken the soup.
- Filter the soup through a fine mesh sieve into a medium-sized saucepan, pressing the garnish firmly with the back of a spoon to extract as much juice as possible. Place the saucepan over high heat and add the star anise, cream, and saffron. Bring the soup to a gentle boil, then leave to simmer for a further 10 minutes.
- To serve, place a handful of mussels (shell removed) in each serving bowl and ladle the soup over. Garnish with parsley and enjoy with a side of toasted baguette.
Video
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