Fish Soup Basquaise from The Cooking of South West France by Paula Wolfert

Ingredients

• 1 dozen large mussels
• ½ cup dry white wine
• ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
• ¼ teaspoon piment d’Espelette or other moderately hot red pepper, or 1 teaspoon crème de piment d’Espelette (see Mail Order Sources)
• Pinch of imported sweet paprika
• ½ cup diced (½ inch) red bell peppers
• ½ cup diced (½ inch) green bell peppers
• ½ cup chopped onion
• ½ cup finely chopped celery
• 1 large garlic clove, finely sliced
• 2½ tablespoons chopped fresh herbs: flat-leaf parsley, basil, chervil, a few leaves of rosemary or sage
• ½ cup peeled, cubed, and seeded plum tomatoes
• ¾ to 1 pound mixed boneless fish fillets (red snapper, halibut, monkfish, hake, or cod), cut into ¾-inch cubes
• Salt
• freshly ground pepper
• 3 cups hot fish stock (storebought or homemade) or water
• ½ cup cooked crabmeat (optional)
• Dash of fresh lemon juice