Mussel soup with fine beans, tomato and coriander

Serves 4

Ever since Gallagher and his brothers were paid with a couple of pounds of mussels for a small repair job that they did on a fisherman's boat he has loved this variety of seafood. This is the exact recipe he prepared that day. He says that there is nothing better than a steaming bowl of mussel soup after a day by the docks.

1.5kg mussels
300ml dry white wine
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
200g fine green beans, finely chopped
3 plum tomatoes, peeled, seeded and diced
1 bunch of fresh coriander, leaves stripped and chopped

Scrub the mussels well, scrape off any barnacles and pull out the beards protruding from between the two closed shells.

Discard any that won't close when they are lightly tapped on the work surface.Heat a large pan over a high heat. Tip in the mussels and cover for 10-15 seconds, then pour over the wine and 300ml of water. Add a few white peppercorns if you've got them, then cover and cook, shaking the pan every now and then, for five minutes or until all the mussels have opened. Discard any that stay closed.

Tip the mussels into a colander set over a large bowl and then pass the cooking liquid once more through a fine sieve, and reserve. When the mussels are cool enough to handle, remove the mussel meats from their shells and reserve, discarding the shells.

Heat a pan. Add one tablespoon of the olive oil and then add the onion. Cook for a few minutes until softened, then pour in the reserved cooking liquid and bring to the boil. Season to taste.

Add the beans, mussels and tomatoes and just warm through. Ladle into warmed wide-rimmed bowls, scatter over the coriander and drizzle over the remaining olive oil. Serve immediately.