Mussel, bacon, chive and parsley soup

Mussel, bacon, chive and parsley soup

Autumn

There are all sorts of things I love about mussels. In the first instance, they’re very sustainable. Mussel farming is one form of aquaculture that actually helps the oceans. Eating them is, of course, a joy – a process, a little work, tactile and, one by one, gives plump rewards. With your stack of black shells to one side, there’s a cupful of soup, the liquor. It’s part-sea, part-treasure, and the bit I look forward to as much as the mussels themselves. So much so, I make this mussel soup often. It is everything I love about mussels, unencumbered and plentiful.

Serves 4

Ingredients

  • 1.5kg (3lb 5oz) live mussels
  • 2 bay leaves
  • a small handful of flat-leaf parsley, leaves picked and chopped, stalks reserved
  • a knob of butter
  • 150g (5oz) cubed pancetta, or streaky bacon cut into pieces
  • ½ teaspoon coriander seeds, toasted and crushed
  • 2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
  • 1 leek, halved and thinly sliced
  • 500ml (17½oz) fish or vegetable stock
  • 150ml (5½oz) double (heavy) cream
  • a small handful of chives, finely sliced
  • sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • buttered bread, to serve

Method

Give the mussels a quick rinse under cold running water. You’ll need to pull away the grey beard and knock off any barnacles using the back of a knife. Discard any mussel shells that fail to close after a tap.

Place a large, heavy-based saucepan with a tight-fitting lid over a hot fire. Add 150ml (5oz) of water followed by the bay leaves and parsley stalks. When the water is boiling rapidly, add the mussels, give the pan a shake and pop the lid on. Cook for 2–3 minutes, giving the pan a further shake, until the mussel shells are all open. Remove the pan from the heat and immediately tip the mussels out into a large colander set over a bowl to catch the cooking liquid. Don’t forget the bowl and inadvertently end up pouring the mussel liquor away – it’s an important part of the soup.

Rinse out the pan and return it to a medium heat. Drop in the butter and, when it’s bubbling away, add the pancetta or bacon and fry it slowly until it’s just beginning to crisp around the edges. Now add the coriander seeds, garlic and leek, along with some salt and pepper. Carry on cooking, stirring occasionally, until the leek is soft and silky (about 8 minutes).

Add the mussel cooking liquor (except the last few drops, which can sometimes be gritty) and the stock. Bring the soup to a simmer and cook, uncovered, for 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, pick the meat out of the mussel shells, keeping a few mussels intact to garnish, and set to one side. Add the cream to the soup and bring the liquid back to a simmer. Now add the mussel meat and chives and parsley leaves, and season with plenty of black pepper. The soup might need a pinch of salt but not too much. Serve with bread and butter.

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