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MUSSELS IN WINE, GARLIC AND TOMATO STOCK

300 Sensational Soups
by Carla Snyder & Meredith Deeds

A glass of dry white wine, a large loaf of crusty bread and this buttery, garlic-laced soup, packed with sweet, fresh mussels, make up the perfect meal.

Serves 8 to 10


Ingredients

• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 3 tbsp unsalted butter
• 1/3 cup finely chopped shallots
• 6 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 can (28 oz) diced tomatoes, with juice
• 3 cups fish or chicken stock
• 1 cup dry white wine
• 1/2 tsp salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 2 lbs mussels, scrubbed and debearded (see tips below)
• 1 tsp grated lemon zest
• 2 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1/4 cup minced fresh flat-leaf parsley


Directions

1. In a large pot, heat oil and butter over medium heat. Add shallots and saute until softened, about 3 minutes. Add garlic and saute for 1 minute. Add tomatoes with juice, stock, wine, salt and pepper to taste; cook for 10 minutes to blend the flavors.

2. Add mussels, cover and cook until mussels have opened, 5 to 8 minutes. Discard any mussels that do not open. Stir in lemon zest and lemon juice. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper, if necessary.

3. Ladle into heated bowls and garnish with parsley.


Tips
Have the fishmonger tap each mussel individually to make sure it is alive and check again just before cooking. Live mussels will close when tapped. Any mussels that do not open while cooking were dead before they were cooked and should be discarded. To scrub and debeard mussels, hold each mussel under cool running water and scrub the shell with a stiff- bristled brush. Next, grab the fibers of the "beard" with your fingers and pull them out, tugging toward the hinged point of the shell.