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Rick Stein’s Cream of Mussel Soup with Celeriac and Saffron

A luxurious cream of mussel soup infused with celeriac and saffron. From Rick Stein, this seafood recipe is infused with dry white wine, garlic and butter.

From the book

Introduction

I always like to add a few mussels in the shell along with the rest of the mussel meats to improve the finished look. It’s important to get the texture of the soup right before adding them, which is why I pass it first through a normal sieve then through an even finer sieve, called a chinois. And finally, I can’t stress strongly enough to reheat the mussels with extreme caution. The longer they cook, the more they lose their flavour of the sea.

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Ingredients

750g (1lb 10oz) small mussels, cleaned
4 tbsp dry white wine
50g (2oz) butter
225g (8oz) peeled celeriac, chopped
125g (4½oz) leek, sliced
1 small garlic clove, chopped
About 750ml (1¼ pints) good quality fish stock
1 good pinch of saffron strands
175g (6oz) vine ripened tomatoes, roughly chopped
4 tbsp crème fraîche

Essential kit

You will need a chinois (fine-mesh sieve).

Method

Put the mussels and 2 tablespoons of the wine into a medium-sized pan. Place over a high heat and cook for 2–3 minutes or until the mussels have just opened. Tip them into a colander set over a bowl to collect the cooking juices, and discard any mussels that have not opened. Leave to cool slightly then remove the meats from three-quarters of the shells, cover and set aside.

Melt the butter in a clean pan, add the celeriac, leek, garlic and remaining wine. Cover and cook gently for 5 minutes.

Put all but the last tablespoon or two of the mussel liquor (which might be a bit gritty) into a large measuring jug and make up to 900ml (1½ pints) with the fish stock. Add to the pan of vegetables along with the saffron and tomatoes, cover and simmer gently for 30 minutes.

Leave the soup to cool slightly, then blend until smooth. First pass through a sieve, then pass once more through a chinois into a clean pan, bring back to the boil. Stir in the crème fraîche and some seasoning to taste.Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the mussels to warm them through briefly, but don’t allow them to cook any more than they already have. Ladle the soup into warmed soup plates, trying to distribute the mussels evenly, and serve immediately.

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From the book: My Kitchen Table: 100 Fish and Seafood Recipes

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