How to Make Soup from Octopuses, Shrimps, Mussels and Leek

This is a traditional Italian seafood soup. Soups in the Italian cuisine are so thick that they look more like sauces. Small octopuses are called polpetti veraci there. These octopuses coupled with the sweetish taste of shrimps and mussels give this soup an especially rich taste and strong aftertaste which is enhanced by fried leek and flavored olive oil.

Ingredients for Soup from Octopuses, Shrimps, Mussels and Leek

• 2.2 lb unshelled mussels or about 0.7 lb mussels’ flesh
• 0.9 lb small octopuses
• 1.1 lb shrimps without heads
• 1 leek (about 0.7 lb) only white root part
• 1.1 lb tomatoes
• garlic cloves
• 3-4 parsley stalks
• 3-4 tablespoons olive oil
• 0.4 pt/ 0.8 cup dry white wine
• 1 teaspoon flavored olive oil
• salt

Cooking Instructions

1. If you take fresh mussels in their shells, put them into a pan and heat. When they have opened, drain off the juice to use it for the soup later. Take out the flesh from the shells.
2. Remove octopuses’ eyes, beaks and ink-sacks and rinse them well in running water.
3. Shrimps are usually cooked in shells to make the soup taste stronger, but you can take shrimps out of the shells, remove legs and take only flesh.
4. When all the seafood has been peeled and prepared, pour olive oil into a wide pan with a thick bottom and fry chopped garlic.
5. Add parsley, leek diced into thin rings and fry for about 2-3 minutes. Then add finely cut tomatoes.
6. Cover and simmer the sauce for about 10 minutes, then add a cup of wine and about 0.8 cup mussel juice or water.
7. Put in octopuses and boil them for about 20-30 minutes. Then add shrimps and in another 5 minutes mussels. Salt to taste, add a teaspoon of flavored olive oil or just pepper.
8. Turn the heat off in 2 minutes. Serve the soup hot with bruschetta – grilled bread rubbed with a garlic clove.