Mussel and Saffron Soup

1. 1Scrub the mussels under cold running water and pull away the stringy beards. Discard any with cracked shells, and any open ones that don't close when you tap them firmly — those are dead and should not be cooked.
2. 2Put the wine in a large pot over high heat, add the mussels, clamp the lid on and steam for 3–4 minutes, shaking once, until the shells have opened.
3. 3Tip into a colander set over a bowl to catch every drop of liquor. Let the mussels cool, then pick most of the meat from the shells, keeping a dozen in shell for serving.
4. 4Strain the liquor through a sieve lined with a piece of kitchen paper. Mussels bring sand with them, and this one step is the difference between a silky soup and a gritty one. Leave the last cloudy tablespoon in the bowl.
5. 5Melt the butter in the rinsed pot and sweat the fennel, leek, shallot and garlic with a pinch of salt for 10 minutes over low heat, until completely soft but not coloured.
6. 6Add the saffron and let it bloom in the hot butter for 30 seconds, then add the potatoes, bay leaf and the reserved mussel liquor plus enough water to cover by 2 cm. Simmer for 15 minutes, until the potatoes collapse at the edges.
7. 7Blend about half the soup until smooth and stir it back in — that gives body without losing all the texture. Add the cream and warm through gently.
8. 8Taste before adding any salt. Mussel liquor is already salty, and this is the step where the soup is most often ruined.
9. 9Return the picked mussels to the pot to warm through for 1 minute only — boiled a second time they shrink and toughen. Serve with the reserved shells on top, parsley, and bread.

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