Mussel and Fennel Bisque
- 2 pounds mussels
- 1 cup dry white wine
- 4 cups homemade fish stock or bottled clam juice, as needed
- 1 large head fennel (also known as anise), preferably with fronds
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- ¼ cup chopped carrots
- ½ cup chopped shallots
- ¼ cup long-grain rice
- 1 teaspoon tomato paste
- ¼ teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 bay leaf
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 cup heavy cream
- Chopped fresh parsley, for garnish (optional)
Instructions:
Poor fennel—it just doesn’t get its due from American cooks. Here, it lends its light anise flavor to a creamy bisque that is elegant enough to serve to company, yet comforting enough to serve for a supper or lunch.
- Scrub the mussels under cold running water, debearding them, if necessary. Put the mussels in a large bowl and add enough cold salted water to cover. Let stand for 1 to 2 hours. Drain and rinse the mussels.
- Combine the mussels and wine in a large saucepan and cover. Bring to a boil over high heat. Cook, shaking the pan occasionally, until all of the mussels open, about 5 minutes. Using tongs, transfer the mussels to a bowl. Discard any unopened mussels.
- Strain the cooking liquid through a wire sieve lined with moistened, wrung-out cheesecloth to remove any grit. Add enough fish stock or clam juice to the mussel liquid to make 5 cups. (If you run out of stock or clam juice, use water.) Remove the mussels from their shells and place the meat in a bowl, discarding the shells. Cover and refrigerate the shelled mussels.
- If the fennel has its fronds attached, remove, finely chop, and reserve them for garnish. Cut the fennel bulb in half lengthwise and cut out and discard the hard triangular core. Cut the fennel into ½-inch dice; you should have about 2¼ cups fennel.
- Heat 2 tablespoons of the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add 1½ cups of the chopped fennel and the carrots. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 10 minutes. Stir in the shallots and cook, uncovered, until the shallots soften, about 3 minutes. Add the clam juice mixture with the rice, tomato paste, thyme, and bay leaf. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and partially cover. Simmer until the rice is very tender, about 25 minutes. Remove the bay leaf.
- Meanwhile, heat the remaining tablespoon of butter in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add the reserved diced fennel and cook, stirring occasionally, until crisp-tender, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Remove from the heat and cover to keep warm.
- In batches, puree the bisque mixture in a blender. Return the bisque to the saucepan. Add the cream and shelled mussels, and heat just until piping hot; do not boil. Season with salt and pepper.
- Ladle the bisque into individual soup bowls. Add a spoonful of sautéed fennel to each and sprinkle with fennel fronds or parsley. Serve hot.