This is all you need with some fresh bread and butter. The simple things are the best.
Wine Suggestion: For a wine to work with this dish you need to balance a crisp, acidity to cut through the cream, body to match the depth of flavour and a minerally-savouriness to compliment the briny backbone of flavour from the mussels. If you look to a good Chablis producer or a top Muscadet then you’ll find your solution. We chose Jérémie Huchet’s lieu dit Les Montys le Parc from a very special vineyard in Muscadet that has that extra depth to match this rich, full flavoured dish.
Mussel, bacon and leek soup – serves 2
- 750g mussels
- 2 bay leaves
- a small handful of parsley, leaves picked and chopped and stalks reserved
- a knob of butter
- 75g streaky bacon, cut into small pieces
- ¼ tsp coriander seeds, toasted and crushed
- 1 garlic clove, finely sliced
- 1 leek, finely sliced
- 250ml fish stock (or veg stock)
- 75ml double cream
- a small handful of chives, finely snipped
Wash the mussels in cold water and remove any beards. Give any open mussels a hard tap and discard them if they don’t close.
Put 75ml of water into a large saucepan with a tight fitting lid. Add the parsley stalks and bay leaves and bring to the boil. Add the mussels, clamp on the lid, and cook for 2-3 minutes or until the mussels have opened. Give the pan a good shake now and and then as they cook.
Tip the mussels into a colandar set over a bowl to catch all of the cooking juices, you will need the these later so don’t throw them away.
Wipe out the pan and return to the heat. Add a knob of butter, then gently fry the bacon until begining to crisp. Add the coriander seeds, garlic, and leek and season with salt and pepper. Cook for about 8 minutes, stirring now and then, until the leeks are nice and soft.
Add the mussel cooking liquid (watch out for the gritty bit at the bottom which you can discard) and the stock, then simmer uncovered for 5 minutes.
Meanwhile, pick the meat out of the mussels but leave about 12 in their shells to garnish.
Add the cream to the soup and bring back to a simmer. Add the mussel meat, chives and parsley and check the seasoning. Serve in warm bowls, garnished with the mussels in their shells and with bread and butter on the side.
(Original recipe from Outside by Gill Meller, Quadrille, 2022)
Jono & Jules do food & wine 