My wife, Angela, loves mussels, especially the fat, tender Mediterranean mussels you get in summer and early fall. Consequently, we eat a lot of them—steamed, in salads, with pastas, you name it. Light enough for a summer dish, this terrific soup is also delicious in the winter months made with Prince Edward Island (P.E.I.) mussels instead.

　　

Ingredients

serves 4

　　2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

　　3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced

　　Pinch of chile flakes

　　1 1/2 pounds fresh mussels, debearded and scrubbed

　　1 cup white wine

　　1 cup Basic Chickpeas (page 220)

　　1 small bulb fennel, tough outer leaves removed, sliced

　　Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

　　Juice of 1 lemon

　　3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

　　

Step 1

Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan or Dutch oven over medium heat, and add the garlic and chile flakes. Before the garlic colors, add the mussels and white wine. Increase the heat to high, cover, and let the mussels steam for 3 to 4 minutes, or until they just open.

　　

Step 2

Discard any mussels that don’t open and transfer the others to a baking dish with any cooking liquid that is in the pan. Set in the refrigerator until cool enough to handle. Once cool, remove the mussels from the shells, and discard the shells. (Note: You can keep the mussels in the fridge until ready to serve the soup, then proceed from this point.)

　　

Step 3

In a medium-size saucepan, combine the mussels, cooking liquid, chickpeas, and sliced fennel and heat through. The fennel should retain a bit of a bite. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Add the lemon juice and parsley. Serve immediately.

　　Ethan Stowell's New Italian Kitchen