Mussel Billy-by Soup

Clean, de-beard and remove large barnacles from the mussel shell. Don’t be to fanatic with the barnacles as the shells won’t be used in the finish dish-just make sure there clean and not broken or dead. (dead mussel will be open-alive mussels will be closed or close when you remove the beard.)

Make sure mussels are drained and not in a puddle of water.

Heat up oil in a pot big enough to cook all the mussels in.

Add carrots, onion, celery and leek Cook for 5 minutes.

Add garlic, thyme, saffron, bay leaves, curry powder and chilli powder. Continue to cook for five minutes. If pot starts to get to hot, add splashes of water to cool pan down and stop vegetables from colouring too much.

When happy that vegetables and spices are cooked and the pan is perfumed with the flavours, then add mussels and wine at the same time. Put lid on pot and cook over high heat for 6-14 minutes (the cooking time will all come down to the heat of the pan when mussels went in-the size of the mussels-the heat of the wine).

When all the mussels are open and cooked, remove mussels on to a baking tray. Pass mussel stock though a fine sieve and back into sauce pot.

Reduce mussel stock by ½ and then add fish stock.

Reduce stock by 1/3 and then add cream.

Reduce creamed stock by 1/3-1/2 or until the flavour is sweet and aromatic.

Season with salt, sugar and lemon juice. Keep warm to the side.

Once mussels are cool enough to handle, remove meat from the shells (and any little crabs that have decided to live with the mussel) and give a quick wash in fresh water to remove any shell or unwanted vegetables.

Put mussels in the bottom of soup bowl and serve soup over the top.

Garnish with any soft herbs you have to hand like parsley or chervil.