old father foodie The title says Mussel Chowder, but you can use any firm white fish or shellfish you fancy. Both scenarios are covered below.
Fish soups tend to be built on either a tomato (Bouillabaisse) or potato base (Cullen Skink). This one is potato; a take on Claudia Roden’s Fish Soup with Saffron and Cream which I am sure had been a Mediterranean favourite for centuries before
Want to make some Cullen Skink click here, or for our full soup index, click here.
Ingredients
1 leek (white part) thinly sliced
1 onion finely chopped
1 stick of celery finely chopped
3-4 cloves of finely chopped garlic
1 medium potato diced
250ml dry white wine
500ml water or fish stock
150ml double cream
About 10cm of orange peel
500g fresh mussels. Skinless white fish, prawns or a mix also work well.
Method
Warm a splash of oil in a large pan.
Add the leek, onion, garlic and celery. Sauté till they are soft but not brown.
Add the water/stock wine, potatoes and orange peel.
Season with salt and white pepper.
Simmer for 20 minutes until the potato is cooked topping up with water as necessary.
Remove the orange peel and check the seasoning.
You could…
- Add some chopped parsley.
- Go Canadian and add a small tin of sweetcorn.
- Add some sliced tomato for colour.
Set the soup aside.
If you are using fresh mussels
Make sure they are washed with beards trimmed.
Give them a light rattle in a bowl. Discard any that are broken or do not close.
Pop them in a pot with about half an inch of boiling water.
Cover and boil till the shells have opened. They will only need a couple of minutes.
Remove the mussels and strain the liquid into the soup.
Gently heat the soup. Avoid boiling as it may break the cream.
While the soup is heating, use a fork to remove the mussels from their shells.
Pop the mussels into the soup.
Make one last seasoning check and serve with crusty bread.
If you are using white fish or prawns.
Add the fish or prawns to the soup and gently poach for about 5-8 minutes.
Changes in colour are a good guide. The fish should be white all the way through, and the prawns a reddish pink.
If you are having a mixture of fish, poach the fish and prawns then add the cooked mussels.
Check the seasoning and enjoy
Mussel Chowder
Ingredients
- 1 leek white part thinly sliced
- 1 onion finely chopped
- 1 stick of celery finely chopped
- 3-4 cloves of finely chopped garlic
- 1 medium potato diced
- 250 ml dry white wine
- 500 ml water or fish stock
- 150 ml double cream
- About 10cm of orange peel
- 500 g fresh mussels.
Instructions
- Warm a splash of oil in a large pan.
- Add the leek, onion, garlic and celery. Sauté till they are soft but not brown.
- Add the water/stock wine, potatoes and orange peel.
- Season with salt and white pepper.
- Simmer for 20 minutes until the potato is cooked topping up with water as necessary.
- Remove the orange peel and check the seasoning.
- You could…
- Add some chopped parsley.
- Go Canadian and add a small tin of sweetcorn.
- Add some sliced tomato for colour.
- Set the soup aside.
- If you are using fresh mussels
- Make sure they are washed with beards trimmed.
- Give them a light rattle in a bowl. Discard any that are broken or do not close.
- Pop them in a pot with about half an inch of boiling water.
- Cover and boil till the shells have opened. They will only need a couple of minutes.
- Remove the mussels and strain the liquid into the soup.
- Gently heat the soup. Avoid boiling as it may break the cream.
- While the soup is heating, use a fork to remove the mussels from their shells.
- Pop the mussels into the soup.
- Make one last seasoning check and serve with crusty bread.
- If you are using white fish or prawns.
- Add the fish or prawns to the soup and gently poach for about 5-8 minutes.
- Changes in colour are a good guide. The fish should be white all the way through, and the prawns a reddish pink.
- If you are having a mixture of fish, poach the fish and prawns then add the cooked mussels.
- Check the seasoning and enjoy
