Continuing soup week with one of my faves, mussel soup. A rich tomato based broth, with wine, garlic and fresh parsley. Serve with crusty bread and you have a quick and easy meal that I made in under 20 minutes.
Based on the Belgian classic, moules (mussels) provençale. Brussels is one of my favorite cities and I can never get enough mussels when I’m in Brussels (oh, a little poetry).
A few important tips when buying and cooking mussels.
- If they smell fishy, do not buy them. They should smell briny like the ocean.
- If any of the mussels shells are broken, you must discard them.
- If any of the mussels open, tap it on the counter, if it remains open, throw those out.
- If any of the mussels don’t open after cooking, discard them.
Following those 3 simple steps will ensure a perfect dish every time.
I couldn’t wait to get through the photo shoot of the dish so I could enjoy the entire dish for lunch because the smell was literally making my mouth water as I was taking the pictures. Did I mention that mussels are one of my favorite foods? It must have taken me 3 minutes max to eat this entire bowl. Here’s a picture of the aftermath…
Mussel soup
Prep Time
15 mins
Cook Time
18 mins
Total Time
33 mins
Course: Entree
Servings: 4
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 onion chopped
- 2 large carrots chopped
- 3 cloves garlic grated
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 pounds fresh mussels scrubbed with beards removed * see notes
- 1 bottle white wine
- 1-14 ounce can chopped tomatoes
- 1 tablespoon fresh parsley chopped
Instructions
- In a large saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium heat.
- Add the onion, carrots, garlic and salt.
- Stirring occasionally, cook for about 3 minutes.
- Cover and cook for about 10 minutes until the vegetables are tender.
- Add the mussels and white wine, cover and cook for 5 minutes until all the mussels are open.
- Transfer the mussels to a bowl using a slotted spoon. Discard any mussels that have not opened.
- Turn the heat to low and add the tomatoes and their juice.
- Bring to a low simmer for a few minutes.
- Add the mussels back into the pot and stir well.
- Taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary.
- Serve and garnish with chopped parsley and crusty bread.
Recipe Notes
* 1/4 pound of mussels per person is about 15-17 mussels for an entree serving. * Discard any mussels that are broken, or do not remain open when you tap them on the counter.
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This reminds me of my childhood. Mum and I digging for mussels . Thank you for sparking a lovely memory and for your yummy recipe too xo
Thank you Katherine, I’m glad I was able to spark good memories.
I love mussel soup and yours looks flavorful and delicious!
Thank you so much Elena.
I love mussels! What a gorgeous soup!
Thank you so much Serena.
I adore mussels and this soup looks heavenly!!
Thank you so much Tara.
I love everything with mussels, and especially a tomato based soup… Living in Brittany, we have the freshest mussels from Mont Saint Michel at the farmers market. Will have to try your recipe.
Thank you Marie, Brittany is so beautiful. Please let me know how you like the recipe.
I love mussels, and that broth sounds fantastic!! What a great soup 🙂
What an elegant looking bowl of muscles. Just gorgeous.
I can’t get enough mussels either. They are tasty and the broth… Oh my! I’m looking forward to trying your recipe.
My oldest son loves mussels…I usually make them with white wine sauce, but this looks delicious! I will definitely be trying this. Pinning! If you get a free moment, I would love it if you would share it with us at Foodie Fridays tomorrow night…we go live at 9 PM EST!
Thank you for your kinds words Michelle. I will be dropping by tomorrow 🙂
I love mussels and this soup looks amazing! No wonder you couldn’t wait to finish the pictures and enjoy it! Thanks for the wonderful tips when cooking mussels!
Thank you so much Mira 🙂
G’day Your mussell soup looks warm and welcoming indeed!
Cheers! Joanne
Simply beautiful, and I have to admit I adore mussels! Great simple to follow recipe
This looks amazing!! Beautiful pictures!
I am sure I would love this dish. Mussels are now a favorite of mine!
I’d love to try making some mussels! Unfortunately hubby is allergic to them, but I’ll just have to wait until he’s out one day! Yours looks fabulous in that beautiful tomato-ey sauce! This is the kind of dish that I’d be VERY impressed by if served them at a dinner party!
I LOVE everything about this soup and wish I had a big bowl for dinner tonight! And the fact that it’s so simple to prepare makes we want to go to the store right now and grab all the ingredients!
This looks amazing, the colors are absolutely gorgeous! Almost too pretty to eat… almost!
I am utterly addicted to mussels, I eat them almost every day at lunch mixed with squid and tuna and sun-dried tomatoes and olive oil! MMmmmmm! 🙂
Janette, this Mussel soup looks divine and something my husband and I will LOVE! Beautifully photographed, thanks for sharing – coming to you from #FoodieFridays!
Yum! I love seafood. I used to order seafood portifino at olive garden and then they took it off their menu. I’m still very sad about that. It had mussels in it too. I’ll have to give your yummy soup a try to see if I can curb a craving! #FoodieFridays
Your soup looks fabulous! I love the colors and love that it’s mussels. I love mussels. Thank you for linking up with #FoodieFridays this week!
Christie
http://akitchenhoor.blogspot.com/
I have zero experience cooking with mussels, but this soup looks so good! Thanks for helping me expand my comfort zone. 🙂
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I am sure I love this dish. Mussels are now a favorite of mine!
This soup looks gorgeous! I never challenged mussel soup at home, but really like to try out. Thanks for sharing the tips about how to pic mussels!
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