Mussel Soup

Ingredients

• 1 kg mussels
• 3 sprigs thyme
• 350 ml white wine (or fish stock)
• 6 peppercorns
• 175 g onions (3 onions)
• 2 cloves garlic
• 400 g tomatoes (5 tomatoes)
• 300 g celery stalks (4 stalks)
• 1.5 bulbs fennel
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tbsp anise liqueur (or fennel tea)
• 400 ml fish stock
• 0.1 g saffron strands (1 packet)
• 2 Bay leaves
• 3 stems Parsley
• Salt
• Pepper

Instructions

1. 1.

   Wash mussels cold and discard any that are not open. Scrub the mussels, removing any attached beard. Wash thyme, add to a pot with mussels, 200 ml white wine and peppercorns, cover and bring to a boil.

2. 2.

   Cook mussels until all have opened, about 7 minutes. Discard any that remain closed. Remove mussels with a slotted spoon, set aside and let cool.

3. 3.

   Strain the broth through a sieve and catch it.

4. 4.

   Peel onions and garlic and finely dice them.

5. 5.

   Score tomatoes crosswise. Briefly blanch in boiling water, then shock in cold water and peel. Quarter them, removing stem ends. Seed and dice the tomatoes.

6. 6.

   Clean celery, wash, de‑string and finely dice.

7. 7.

   Clean fennel, wash and finely dice.

8. 8.

   Heat oil in a pot. Sauté onions and garlic until translucent.

9. 9.

   Add celery and fennel cubes, stir and cook for another 5 minutes.

10. 10.

    Deglaze with anise liqueur and remaining white wine. Add mussel broth, fish stock and a splash of water if needed. Stir in saffron.

11. 11.

    Bring soup to a boil, add tomatoes and bay leaves, simmer on medium heat for 15 minutes. Wash parsley, dry shake, pluck leaves and chop.

12. 12.

    Meanwhile, break mussels out of their shells and roughly chop them. Add them to the soup just before the end of cooking and warm through. Season soup with salt and pepper, stir in parsley and serve immediately.