Cream of Cilantro Soup with Mussels
The contrast of the creamy soup with the fresh taste and bright green color of the cilantro and chilies makes this soup a stunning addition to any dinner. The soup can be made a few hours in advance up to the addition of the cilantro puree. That should be done immediately before serving.
Ingredients
- Puree
- Cilantro - 2 bunches, cleaned and stemmed
- Parsley - 1 bunch, cleaned and stemmed
- Onion - 1/3 cup, chopped
- Garlic - 2 cloves, peeled and chopped
- Serrano - 2 chilies, stemmed and seeded
- Fish stock - 1 cup (alt. water)
- Soup
- Mussels - 40
- Cornmeal - 1/4 cup
- Fish stock - 2 cups
- Heavy (whipping) cream - 2 1/2 cups
- Cilantro puree - 1 to 1 1/2 cups (above)
- Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
- Ancho Chili Preserves
- Cilantro - 2 sprigs
Instructions
Cream of Cilantro Soup with Mussels
To make the puree: Place all puree ingredients in a blender or food processor. Process until it is a thick, smooth puree, adding more fish stock if necessary. Set aside.
To make the soup: Scrub the mussels and trim off the beards with a sharp paring knife. Soak the mussels for 1 hour in cold water in which the cornmeal is mixed. Drain and rinse them.
Place the mussels in a saucepan with the fish stock. Cover the pot and bring to a boil. Steam the mussels until the shells open, about 5 minutes, stirring a few times. Do not overcook; discard any mussels that do not open. Remove the mussels from the pan, reserving the liquid, and remove the mussels from their shells, reserving 8 of the best shells for garnish. Set the mussels aside.
Boil the mussel liquid to reduce by one-third, then strain it through a cheesecloth-lined sieve and return it to the pot. Add the cream and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 5 minutes to reduce slightly. Stir in the cilantro puree and cook about 30 seconds; season with salt and pepper to taste.
To serve: Divide the mussels among warmed soup bowls. Ladle soup around the mussels until they are almost covered. Garnish each bowl with a dollop of ancho chili preserves in a reserved mussel shell and a few cilantro leaves.
Ancho Chili Preserves
Wash the ancho chilies and soak them in hot water until soft, about 15 minutes. Discard the stems, shake out the seeds, and puree the chilies with the remaining ingredients in a blender or food processor, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary. Pass the puree through a sieve. The preserves may be kept up to 2 months in the refrigerator.
