Recipes Billi Bi 5.0 (4,579) Add your rating & review This fast, easy, inexpensive mussel soup from France is—no joke—one of the world’s most luxurious dishes. Try Billi Bi when you feel deeply deserving of sparkling seafood in a creamy sauce. Slideshow: More Mussels Dishes By Andrew Zimmern Andrew Zimmern Andrew Zimmern is an Emmy-winning and four-time James Beard Award-winning TV personality, chef, writer and social justice advocate. As the creator, executive producer and host of Travel Channel's Bizarre Foods franchise, Andrew Zimmern's Driven by Food and Emmy-winning The Zimmern List, he has devoted his life to exploring and promoting cultural acceptance, tolerance and understanding through food. In 2020, Andrew returned to television with his MSNBC series What's Eating America, and in 2021, he premiered Family Dinner on Chip & Joanna Gaines' Magnolia Network. In 2022, Andrew Zimmern's Wild Game Kitchen will premiere on the Outdoor Channel. All three shows were created by Intuitive Content, the full-service television and digital production company that Andrew heads as both founder and CEO. Food & Wine's Editorial Guidelines Updated on November 20, 2015 Print Rate It Share Share Tweet Pin Email Photo: © Madeleine Hill Total Time: 1 hrs Yield: 6 to 8 Ingredients 3 parsley sprigs 2 thyme sprigs 1 bay leaf 3 tablespoons unsalted butter 5 shallots, finely chopped (1 cup) 1 leek, white and pale green part only, finely chopped 1 celery rib, finely chopped 1 carrot, finely chopped 2 garlic cloves, minced Salt Freshly ground pepper Pinch of cayenne pepper 1 1/2 cups dry white wine 3 pounds mussels (preferably Prince Edward Island or Penn Cove), scrubbed and debearded 2 cups heavy cream 2 large egg yolks 2 tablespoons chopped chives Crusty bread, for serving Directions Using kitchen string, tie the parsley and thyme sprigs with the bay leaf to make a bouquet garni. Melt the butter in a large enameled cast-iron casserole. Add the bouquet garni, shallots, leek, celery, carrot, garlic, 1/2 teaspoon each of salt and pepper and the cayenne. Cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are softened, 6 to 8 minutes. Add the wine and boil until reduced by half, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the mussels, cover and cook, shaking the casserole occasionally, until the mussels are wide open, 4 to 6 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the mussels and vegetables to a large bowl; discard the bouquet garni. Remove the mussels from their shells and add them to the vegetables. Strain the mussel broth through several layers of cheesecloth. Rinse out the casserole. Return the broth to the casserole. Stir in the cream and bring to a simmer over moderate heat. In a medium bowl, gradually whisk 1/4 cup of the creamy broth into the egg yolks. Whisk the yolk mixture into the simmering soup and immediately remove the pot from the heat. Stir in the mussel and vegetable mixture and the chives and season with salt and pepper. Serve the soup with crusty bread. Make Ahead The soup can be refrigerated for 2 days; reheat gently. Rate it Print