Place the mussels in a medium bowl, add cold water to cover, and let sit for 30 minutes.

Cut or pull off the beards from the mussels.

Drain and discard any mussels with cracked shells or that do not close tightly when touched.

Combine the mussels, water, clam juice, bay leaf, thyme, salt, peppercorns, onion, leek, carrot, parsley, and whiting in a large pot.

Bring the mixture to a boil over high heat.

Reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer for 1 hour or until the broth tastes well blended.

Pass the broth through a fine-mesh strainer into a medium bowl, pressing to extract as much liquid as possible.

Discard the solids.

Cover and store the broth in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.