The Taranto-style mussel soup is a typical dish of Apulian cuisine that can be enjoyed in the summer months as a main course or, as I prefer, as a single dish served with friselle or bread slices to soak up the tomato sauce accompanying the mussels.
Now take a minute to read the recipe and then…let’s COOK and EAT!!
See also
- Cost: Economical
- Portions: 4
- Cooking methods: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Summer
Ingredients
- 2.2 lbs mussels
- 14 oz canned peeled tomatoes
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 fresh chili pepper
- to taste extra-virgin olive oil
- to taste parsley (fresh)
- 4 friselle
- 1 pinch fine salt
Tools
- 1 Knife
- 1 Bowl
- 1 High-sided saucepan
- 1 Pan
- 1 Strainer
- 1 Ladle
- 1 Slotted spoon
Steps
To prepare the Taranto-style mussel soup, first, focus on thoroughly cleaning the shellfish.
Place the mussels in a bowl and rinse them under running water, then check each one and remove the byssus, or the beard that usually protrudes from the shell.
Always under running water, and with the help of a steel sponge (or the back of a knife), clean the shells of each mussel until they are smooth and free of incrustations.In a pan, heat a little oil along with a clove of garlic and the parsley stems, then add the mussels, cover the pan with a lid, and let them cook until they are all open.
Once opened, use a slotted spoon to remove the mussels from the pan and collect them in a bowl, while using a strainer to filter the water they released during cooking.
At this point, proceed with preparing the tomato sauce.
In a high-sided pan, sauté a garlic clove together with the fresh chili pepper cut into slices. When the garlic begins to sizzle, remove it and add the canned peeled tomatoes and a pinch of salt.
Let cook for 10 minutes, then add a couple of ladles of the filtered cooking water from the mussels and, after a few minutes, add the mussels along with the freshly chopped parsley.
Let everything simmer for a few minutes, allowing the tomato sauce to thicken slightly.
