The chef at work made this mussel soup whenever mussels were in season. walking down to the canteen, one recognised the flavours in the air. Lunch was a feast when he decided to serve thai mussel soup. This recipe is my attempt at creating that soup at home.

This soup is full of flavour and can be made as spicy or tangy as you like. You can make the soup base and prep the mussels in advance, saving time and energy before serving.

Ingredients

1 kg fresh mussels

2 – 3 tbsp red thai curry paste

2 tbsp rapeseed oil

1 tin coconut milk (400 ml)

2 red chillies

4 kafir lime leaves

1 stalk of lemon grass

2 tbsp fish sauce

1 tbsp rice vinegar

2 tomatoes

1-2 spring onions

Cleaning the mussels

Add the mussels into a big bowl of cold water. Brush each shell with a food brush. With a small knife, remove any mussel beard that may be attached to the side of the shell by pulling down towards the hinged corner of the mussel. The beard is a what the mussel uses to attach to objects when living in the water. The cleaned mussels can be stored in the fridge until later.

Putting it together

Add the red thai curry paste and rapeseed oil to a cooking pan. Stir for 2-3 minutes to form a smooth paste while heating the mixture on medium heat. Add the coconut milk to the pan. Then fill the coconut milk tin with cold water and add the to the pan.

Next add the fish sauce, vinegar, lemon grass stalk, kafir lime leaves and red chillies to the pan. Let the soup cook on low – medium heat for approx. 30 mins, stirring once in a while. If the soup starts to thicken, add another 200 ml of boiling water to the pan. Taste the soup and adjust the flavours, if needed. The soup can be kept aside until its time to serve.

Before serving, heat up the soup to a light bubble. Add the tomato wedges to the soup. Add the mussels to the pan by lifting them out of the bowl. Do not turn the mussels over into the soup. This will prevent any sand released from inside the cleaned mussels from getting into the soup.

Cover the pan and leave to steam for 10-15 mins based on the size and quantity of the mussels. The mussels are cooked when most of the shells have opened. Serve the soup immediately, with fish sauce & vinegar for those that would like to adjust the flavours, and a big empty bowl for the empty shells as the meal progresses.

Note! Discard any mussels that have not opened after cooking.