Apulian Mussel and Tomato Soup with Toasted Bread

La storia di questo piatto

This is the sea of Puglia in a bowl: mussels in a loose, bright tomato broth, with garlic, parsley and a thread of fresh chilli. A plain, generous dish of the Adriatic and Ionian coasts, built for bread and for sharing.

Ingredienti

• 1500 g Fresh mussels
• 500 g Peeled tomatoes
• 3 cloves Garlic
• 20 g Fresh parsley
• 40 ml Extra virgin olive oil
• 1 piece Small fresh chili pepper
• 1 g Sea salt
• 100 ml Dry white wine
• 160 g Apulian bread

Preparazione

1. Place the mussels in a bowl of cold water for 5 minutes. Scrape the shells with a small knife to remove encrustations and deposits, pull out the beards with a firm tug toward the pointed end, and rinse in several changes of water until the water stays clear. Discard broken mussels and any open ones that do not close when tapped.
2. In a wide pan with high sides (or a large pot, for 1.5 kg of mussels) heat the 40 ml of oil over low heat with the 3 garlic cloves sliced thinly and the chili finely chopped or cut into thin rounds. Lightly golden the garlic for 30–60 seconds, without letting it brown too much so it does not turn bitter.
3. Raise the heat, immediately deglaze with the 100 ml of white wine and let the alcohol evaporate for 2 minutes, until reduced by about half.
4. Add the peeled tomatoes crushed with a fork and the 1 g of sea salt listed, and cook over medium heat for 8–10 minutes, until the sauce is soft and still brothy: this soup must remain quite liquid for dipping the bread. While the sauce cooks, toast the slices of Apulian bread (160 g in total) in the oven or on a grill for 5 minutes, until golden, so they are warm and crisp when served.
5. Add the cleaned mussels to the sauce, cover with a lid and cook over medium-high heat for 5–7 minutes, shaking the pan from time to time, until they have opened. The liquid released by the mussels stays in the sauce, which should not be salted further: if the base becomes too thick, loosen it with a ladle of hot water.
6. Discard any mussels that remain closed at the end of cooking without forcing them open, then sprinkle with the 20 g of parsley chopped at the last moment and serve immediately, distributing the toasted bread croutons in the dishes or alongside to soak up the sauce.