Instructions: Clean the mussels very thoroughly under cold running water.

Scrub well with a stiff brush and scrape off any barnacles.

Discard any that are open or have cracked or broken shells.

Heat 60ml of the olive oil until very hot in the biggest pan you have one with a tight fitting lid.

Add two thirds of the chopped garlic; it will colour immediately.

Throw in the mussels put on the lid and shake the pan fiercely to coat the mussles with oil.

Add the wine.

Return to the heat shake cook and stir until all the mussels are open.

This will only take a couple of minutes.

Put the opened mussels and their juices into a large bowl to cool then remove half the mussels from their shells.

Discard any that have not opened.

In the small pan heat the remaining olive oil and fry the rest of the garlic until light brown the add the chilli half the parsley and the liquid from the mussels.

When hot add all the mussels (shelled and unshelled) salt and pepper and most of the remaining parsley.

To make the crostini toast the ciabatta slices on both sides and rub with the garlic.

Serve the soup in flat open dishes with the crostini and pour over a generous amount of extra virgin olive oil.

Scatter the remaining parsley.

This mussel soup comes from the Ligurian coast. It is called bianco because unusually for italian fish soup it contains wine and garlic but no tomato.

Serves 6

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