Ingredients
- 2 quarts uncooked mussels in shells (about 3 pounds)
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1/4 teaspoon paprika
- 4 shallots, finely chopped
- 3 sprigs parsley
- 1/4 teaspoon whole white peppercorns
- 1 cup dry white wine
- 1 1/2 to 2 cups fish broth or 1 (14 1/2-ounce) can chicken broth
- 2 cups heavy cream
- Salt
- Chopped Italian flat-leaf parsley, for garnish
Directions
Discard any mussels that have opened. Scrape off barnacles and scrub mussels with a stiff brush under running water; drain.
In a 4 to 5-quart kettle over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the paprika and shallots and cook, stirring, until soft but not brown. Add the mussels in shells, parsley, peppercorns, and wine. Bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat, and simmer until the mussels open (about 6 to 8 minutes). Discard any mussels that remain closed.
Remove the mussels from the liquid. Strain the liquid through a dampened cloth and measure it. Add fish broth to make 4 cups. Return liquid to the kettle (rinsed to remove any sand).
Remove the mussels from the shells, discarding the shells. Pinch out and discard any "beards" from the mussels.
To the liquid, add the cream. Bring to a boil over high heat, reduce the heat slightly, and boil until the soup is reduced by about one-fourth. Lower heat to medium. Taste and add salt, if needed. Add the mussels and cook until just heated through. Serve hot or chilled, garnished with parsley.
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By tomohall3
on November 02, 2011
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Delicious and relatively simple to prepare.
By griggora
on March 21, 2011
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Many years ago I had the Billy-Bi Mussel Soup in a fine New York restaurant and never forgot it. I do want to make it myself and am happy to have the recipe. Thank you
By icookfromscratch
on December 16, 2010
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This recipe is from master chefs Pierre Franey and Craig Claiborne. Don't know about the Jesuit connection but this soup is fit for kings, emperors and troubled politicians, and from all religions. I have been making it for years, and every time I serve it at a party people stop talking (nice little break sometimes and then coo the words: "...wildly delicious, elegant, and exquisite". In a thank you note a guest suggested I patent the soup (as if I could!. Don't go haywire with the mussels at the end (serve and only place 3 or 4 in each bowl sprinkled in the soup as the flavor of the soup itself is intense enough. Use HEAVY cream, what the hell, life's too short to be stingy, besides it will affect the consistency. And be careful that it doesn't curdle, or "c'est fini", and you have to start all over again.
Read all 6 reviews