Sardinian Mussel Soup

Photo by Holly A. Heyser

A Sardinian classic is fregula kin arsellas, or fregula pasta with baby clams. There is a great recipe for this in Efisio Harris’ Sweet Myrtle and Bitter Honey, one of the few books on Sardinian cooking in English.

I didn’t have baby clams when I wanted to make this soup, but I had mussels, so I switched them out. Nor were the traditional San Marzano tomatoes in season, so I used pieces of fire-roasted red pepper instead.

And my secret? Much of the “water” in the broth is seawater, which I boiled first and then strained to rid it of impurities. Seawater make this soup powerful, briny and achingly perfect for a crisp Vermentino, one of Sardinia’s best white wines. If you aren’t near the ocean, remember to salt your water liberally.

You really need fregula to make this soup correctly. You can buy fregula online from Scott over at Sausage Debauchery, or if you live in Sacramento you can find it at Corti Bros. If you must, you can sub in Israeli couscous or orzo, but it won’t be the same.

Serves 4

• 2-3 pounds mussels in their shells
• 3 cups vegetable or chicken stock, or freshly made fish stock
• 2 cups seawater or salty tap water
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 5 thinly sliced garlic cloves
• 1/2 cup coarsely chopped roasted red pepper
• 1/2 cup chopped parsley
• 1/2 teaspoon Calabrian hot pepper or cayenne
• A healthy pinch of saffron, or 1 packet of saffron powder
• 1/2 pound fregula pasta
• Grated zest of a lemon

1. If you are using wild mussels, scrub their shells and pull off their beards. You should not have to do this with farmed mussels.
2. Pour the seawater or salty tap water into a large, wide pot with a cover and bring it to a boil. Add the mussels and steam them open, about 3-5 minutes.
3. Remove the mussels and pick out most of the meats; put them into a bowl with some olive oil. Leave a few mussels in the shell — it makes the soup look more interesting.
4. Strain the mussel broth though cheesecloth or a paper towel into a bowl and set aside. Crumble the saffron into it while it is still hot.
5. In a large soup pot, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat and saute the garlic for a minute or two.
6. Add the hot pepper, parsley, stock and mussel broth and mix to combine. Bring it to a boil and add the fregula.
7. Simmer this until the pasta is nearly done, about 10 minutes.
8. Add the roasted red pepper and mussels and cook for another 3-5 minutes.
9. Right before you serve, add the lemon zest.
10. Serve with crusty bread and a crisp white wine.

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