Spicy Mussels and Shrimp “Soup”

A beautiful copper pot filled with mussels, shrimp, lemons and kale. This pot is surrounded by a bowl filled with this soup, a wooden bowl of chili peppers, wine, wine glasses, lemons and a loaf of bread.

Have a little fun around the dinner table as you get your hands dirty digging into bowls full of deliciousness! We LOVE mussels in a flavourful sauce, but it’s sad to see the sauce left in the bowl or pot, then discarded. So, I’ve added broth, kale & shrimp and turned mussels, into “mussels & shrimp soup!” No one ever leaves soup in a bowl, so problem solved!

Ingredients

3 tablespoons olive oil
2 shallots, diced
2 long chilies, thinly sliced (red or green)
4 large garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons fennel seeds
2 teaspoons dried crushed red pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt, plus more for seasoning
1 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup chopped cilantro, plus more for serving
1 bunch curly kale, chopped
2 cans (398 ml/13.5 oz) diced tomatoes (or 1 can 796ml/27 oz)
2 1/2 cups stock (chicken, vegetable or seafood – no salt or low sodium)
2 pounds fresh mussels, scrubbed, de-bearded*
12 large wild shrimp, shell on, deveined (see cook’s note)

For serving

Crusty bread, 1/2-inch thick slices
1 lemon, cut into 8 wedges
Hot sauce (optional)

Preparation

Heat a 5 quart pot, pan or Dutch oven over medium heat.

Add oil and lower heat to med-low. Next, add the shallots, salt, chilies and cook until soft. Add fennel seeds, crushed red pepper and garlic and cook for 2-3 minutes.

Raise heat to med-hi, add wine, cook for 1 minute. Add tomatoes and chicken stock, bring to boil. Next, add cilantro & kale, cover and cook for 2-3 minutes. Add mussels, cover and cook for 3 minutes. Add shrimp, nestle them into the liquid. Cover and cook for 4-5 minutes more. Discard any mussels that do not open. Sprinkle with chopped cilantro.

Bring the whole pot to the table and let everyone scoop small portions at a time. Serve mussels with bread for dipping, lemon wedge and hot sauce (if using). Don’t forget a bowl for the discarded mussel & shrimp shells.

Cook’s note:

I like using shrimp with the shell on as it adds additional flavour to the broth. Since we eat the mussels off the shell, scooping up broth, we are getting our hands dirty anyway, so we peel the shrimp as we eat. If preferred, peel shrimp before cooking.

*De-bearding simply means removing the seaweed-like fibers found sticking out of the shell. I pull them off when scrubbing them clean.

Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 15 min
Serves: 4

Hope you enjoy my Spicy Mussels and Shrimp “Soup”! We would love to hear from you, please leave us your feedback in the comment box below.

Have a delicious day! James (aka Zimmy) & Elaine

This recipe was made (and served) in my gorgeous Hestan CopperBond Induction Copper 5qt Essential Pan and on my Hestan Dual Fuel Range.

Proud Hestan Culinary & Hestan Ambassador. Opinions in this post are my own.