Ingredients
2 lbs mussels3 shallots or 1/2 onion 1 stalk celery A small piece of fennel A small carrot 1 bay leaf 2 cloves garlic 1 generous Tbsp butter 4 cups milk 1 star anise 1/2 bottle wheat beer Marjoram or oregano sumac (if available)
Directions
- Clean the mussels by rinsing them under cold water, scrubbing them and removing the “beard”. Make sure to throw away any mussels that are open (and won´t close if you tap them hard), broken or damaged in any way.
- Start by chopping all the vegetables except the garlic into very small pieces.
- Peel the garlic cloves and lightly crush them. Put the vegetables in a pan together with the butter, bay leaf, sprig of marjoram/oregano and the garlic.
- Cook over medium-low heat for a couple of minutes until soft but not brown. Add the mussels. Add 6.5 ounces of water, cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until the mussels have opened (about 5-6 minutes). Discard any mussels that remain closed.
- Strain the liquid into a saucepan, add the milk and the star anise. Boil gently for about 10 minutes. Remove from heat, discard the star anise and then add the witbier. Add salt to taste.
- Arrange the mussels in serving bowls, mix the soup with an immersion blender to create a nice froth and then pour it over the mussels. Pick some leaves of marjoram/oregano and put them on each plate. Finally sprinkle a small amount of sumac on top.
- At my house the soup is served with rye sourdough grissini, but any good bread would work just fine!
- See John's original postOpens in new window.
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