Ingredients
| 1.5kg green-lipped mussels (around 24), scrubbed | |
| 125ml white wine | |
| 250g green beans, cut in 4cm-sized pieces | |
| 25g butter | |
| 1 leek, chopped | |
| 1 medium carrot, finely chopped | |
| 150g streaky bacon, cut into strips | |
| 750ml fish, chicken or vegetable stock | |
| 1 piece of kombu | |
| 100g crème fraîche (I use Zany Zeus) | |
| shredded nori for serving (optional) |
Meaty green-lipped mussels are cheap and nutritious and beautiful in soups. This one veers towards a chowder minus the potatoes. A piece of dried seaweed such as kombu is a wonderful umami addition; it’s something I often have in the pantry as it’s such a great way to boost flavour to vegetable stocks.
Crème fraîche with its richer flavour and higher fat is more stable than sour cream to use in recipes where heating is required.
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Instructions
| 1. | Put the mussels in a large pan with the wine, cover and cook for a few minutes until the mussels just begin to open, approximately 3-4 minutes. |
| 2. | Remove from the heat. Discard any mussels that do not open. Strain the liquid through a sieve and set aside. |
| 3. | Remove the mussels from the shells and cut each mussel into 2 or 3 pieces depending on size. Set aside. |
| 4. | Put the green beans in salted boiling water and cook until just tender, 3-4 minutes. Refresh in cold water. |
| 5. | Heat the butter in a large saucepan and add the leek, carrot and bacon. |
| 6. | Fry over a gentle heat until the vegetables are very soft, approximately 10 minutes. |
| 7. | Add the stock and kombu and simmer gently for 10 minutes. Remove the kombu and slice thinly. |
| 8. | Return to the pan with the mussel liquor and bring up to a simmer. |
| 9. | Temper the crème fraîche by putting it in a bowl and adding 100ml of the hot stock, whisking until well combined. |
| 10. | Add to the soup along with the green beans and mussels and heat through. |
| 11. | Serve in wide bowls, sprinkling over the nori to garnish. Serve with crusty bread. |
Recipes & food styling Ginny Grant / Photography Aaron McLean / Styling Jessica Crowe