Mussel Bisque
Ingredients
For the mussel broth
- 3 pounds mussels rinsed and cleaned
- 1 cup white wine dry
- 1 cup water
- 1 cup additional clam juice or lobster stock, to measure about 4 cups of broth total (see instructions)
For the soup
- 4 TBSPs butter unsalted
- 1 fennel bulb cored and diced, about 1 ½ to 2 cups (make sure to reserve the fennel fronds)
- 1 small to medium yellow onion
- 1 carrot stalk
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 bay leaf
- 4 cups mussel broth
- ¼ cup white rice
- ¼ cup sherry or Madeira
- 1 TBSP tomato
- ¾ of the reserved mussels
- 1-2 cups heavy cream
- Fennel fronds chopped, about ¼ cup, loosely packed
- Sea salt to taste
- ¼ of the reserved mussels divided into each bowl
Instructions
- Clean mussels of any dirt or debris by rinsing well in cold, running water. Discard any that are not tightly closed or whose shells are cracked or damaged.
- Add 1 cup water and 1 cup of dry white wine to a medium to large stock pot and bring it to a rolling boil. Add the mussels, cover and steam for 5 to 10 minutes or until all the shells open. Discard any that do not open. Strain the mussel broth and set the mussels aside. You should get about 3 cups total. Add enough lobster stock or clam juice to the mussel broth to measure 4 cups of broth total.
- You can remove the mussel meats from the shells now or do it later when the rice is simmering. Set the mussel meats aside. You should get about 2 – 2 ½ cups total.
- Melt butter over medium heat in a medium-sized stock pot and add fennel, onion, carrot and bay leaf and saute about 5 to 10 minutes until softened and fragrant. Add garlic cloves in the last minute.
- Add mussel broth, white rice, sherry or Madeira and tomato paste. Bring to a boil, cover and reduce heat to a steady boil. Simmer for 10-15 minutes until rice is cooked through. Remove the bay leaf.
- Remove the stockpot from the stove top. Take ¾ of the mussel meats, add to the stock pot and puree the bisque with a handheld immersion blender. Be very careful not to splatter hot soup!
- Add 1 cup of cream and the fennel fronds and stir in. Add up to 1 more cup of cream, if desired. Salt, to taste.
- Ladle bisque into individual bowls and add a handful of the remaining whole mussel meats to each bowl. Add optional seasonings, to taste.
