Chef Thomas Graham's Bouchot Mussel Chowder

Louise-Adélaïde Boisnard 1:30 p.m., December 4, 2021

For La Table des Bons Vivants, chef Thomas Graham unveils his Bouchot Mussel Chowder recipe.

The chef at Le Mermoz restaurant in Paris 8th arrondissement offers a simple, quick and yet extremely creamy recipe.

A soup that goes perfectly with a glass of St Véran.

Ingredients (for 4 pers.)

1 kg of cleaned bouchot mussels

1 shallot

10 cl of yellow wine

1 large potato

½ leek

1/2 bunch of fresh herbs (parsley, coriander, chives)

The juice of 1 lime

Good quality olive oil

Salt, pepper

Maple syrup 

Chop the shallot and sweat it in a casserole dish with a drizzle of olive oil.

Add the bouquet of chopped grass and mix.

Then add the mussels and stir vigorously.

Deglaze with yellow wine and cover.

Cook for about 1 minute until the mussels open.

Remove the shellfish and keep the cooking juices. 

Shell the mussels.

Peel the potato, cut it into large cubes;

slice the leek and sweat everything in the casserole dish with a drizzle of olive oil and a knob of butter.

Hold on low heat for 15 minutes.

Once the potatoes are soft, mix everything.

Add half of the mussels and mix for 2 minutes without interruption (loosen with the cooking juices from the mussels and possibly a little water).

Mix the soup one last time, gradually pouring in olive oil (minimum 15 cl).

Pass the soup through a Chinese or through cheesecloth.

Serve in bowls, salt and pepper, pour a drizzle of maple syrup and a dash of lemon juice and decorate with mussels.