The people of Naples love fishand seafood in all variations. Especially in the cooler seasons also musselshave high season. For example as mussel soup, a culinary classic with a royalhistory.
Wash the mussels well with cold water, if necessary removing any “beards” with a toothbrush. Fresh mussels are usually closed. With open mussels, you should do the knocking test: tap the mussel firmly but gently on a table. If it does not close afterwards, you should discard it. Place the other mussels in a wide pan, turn up the heat and close the lid for a few minutes. While doing so, tilt the pan back and forth so that the mussels get evenly heated and can open. The mussels that have not opened after cooking are also discarded. Strain the resulting mussel stock through a very fine sieve or cloth and put it aside. Keep the mussels warm in a preheated container.
Immerse the tomatoes briefly in boiling water, peel and cut into pieces. Wash octopuses and dab dry. Now heat oil in a wide pan and fry the garlic clove. If desired, add some chopped chilli. Do not forget to remove the seeds! Turn the octopus briefly in the hot oil several times until it is nicely fried. Remove the garlic. If you wish, douse with white wine and let the liquid evaporate.
Add the tomatoes and leave to simmer covered over a low heat for 10 minutes.
Add the king prawns and sauté for a few minutes. Add the mussel stock and heat everything up again briefly. The zuppa should be more of a liquid sauce than a real soup. Remove from heat and season with chopped parsley and black pepper.
Notes
In the Neapolitan recipe, the toasted bread is first placed in deep plates. Then the mussels, an octopus and a prawn are placed on top. Finally the soup is poured over them.