Bread Soup with Mussels

Bread soup with mussels is a traditional dish from southern Italy, which combines the simplicity of bread soup, a kind of bread soup, with the flavor of the sea provided by mussels. Let’s see how to prepare this delicious recipe.

Ingredients

• 500 g of fresh mussels
• 300 g of stale bread
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 400 ml of fish stock (or water if not available)
• A bunch of parsley
• Extra virgin olive oil to taste
• Salt to taste
• Pepper to taste (optional)
• A few cherry tomatoes (optional for a more colorful variant)

Preparation

1. Start by cleaning the mussels thoroughly: remove the byssus and scrape away any encrustations on the shell with a brush. Rinse them under cold running water.
2. In a large skillet, fry a clove of garlic in the extra virgin olive oil. When the garlic is golden, add the mussels and cover with a lid. Cook until they have opened (about 5-6 minutes). Once ready, shell most of the mussels, leaving some whole for garnishing the dish.
3. Filter the water released by the mussels during cooking and set it aside.
4. In another pot, prepare a base by frying the remaining garlic with a little oil. Add the stale bread cut into pieces and lightly toast it.
5. Add the fish stock (or water) and the cooking water from the mussels. Let the bread absorb the liquid and soften, creating a thick soup, for about 10-15 minutes.
6. Add the shelled mussels to the bread soup and mix carefully. If using, also add the halved cherry tomatoes.
7. Season with salt and pepper (or you could also use chilli pepper if you prefer a bit of heat).
8. Plate the bread soup and garnish with the whole mussels you set aside and the freshly chopped parsley.

Did you know? Bread soup with mussels is a recipe that reflects the philosophy of “poor cooking” typical of many Italian regions, where nothing was wasted and available ingredients, like stale bread and seafood, were used to create dishes rich in flavor and tradition.