Creamy soup with mussels

Clean fresh mussels thoroughly from algae residues. Carefully clean the shells from dirt with a sharp knife without damaging them. Then rinse them several times under cold running water to get rid of the possible presence of sand.

Then you will need a large bowl or a bath basin. Pour the washed mussels into it and pour 4 liters of water. In part of this water, dissolve 1/3 of the salt and pour it into the basin. Leave the mussels in this solution for 15-20 minutes so that they are salted. Next, pour the water out of the bowl and pour the mussels with new water in the same volume and with the same amount of salt. After 15 minutes, repeat the procedure again, filling the mussels with new salt water. After that, rinse the shells well with cold water again and dry them.

Pour chicken broth into a saucepan, Preferably so that it is rich, with a pronounced taste. Add 300 ml of water to a saucepan and put it on medium heat. Bring the broth with water to a boil and throw the washed mussels into it. Then reduce the heat to moderate, cover the pan with a lid and cook the mussels for 5-7 minutes or until the shells open. If the shells of some mussels have not opened, it is better not to eat them.

Remove the boiled mussels from the pan and clean them from the shells. And strain the broth itself through a fine sieve, or even better through a layer of gauze, so that no garbage gets into the future soup.

Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat and add diced leeks and chopped garlic. Simmer everything for about 4-5 minutes until the aroma appears. Then pour in the strained broth, put the spices (saffron, pepper, turmeric) and cook all together under the lid for about 15 minutes.

Next, pour the cream into the pan, bring to a boil and immediately remove the pan with the soup from the heat.

Before serving, pour the soup on portioned soup plates, put previously cooked mussels in each and sprinkle with fresh basil greens.

Bon appetit!