“Oysters, Clams, and Cockles!” This recipe is brought to you by the Free City of Bravos! If you’re like us, you were at one point (possibly at this current point in time, even) wondering what a Cockle is! Like Clams, it’s a bivalve with many subspecies, and its flesh is tender with a bit of saltiness. Also like clams, it’s got a foot to leap away from predators. In fact, our cockles used their feet to try to escape from me…but ::spoiler alert:: they weren’t successful.
We wanted to keep our preparation simple to experience the cockles in full…so we started by rinsing them off really well and soaking them in water (to get sand out). We then boiled them until the shells popped open before letting them cool and attempting to remove more sand and grit before sautéing and eating. In the end, we were left wanting more!
Time: 25 Minutes
Ingredients:
- Cockles
- Butter
- Garlic Powder
- Optional to serve over: Kale and Onion
Method:
- Place your cockles in a large bowl filled with cold water for a little while to get some of the sand/grit out. As they sit, pour some water into a pot, and bring it to a simmer.
- Gently place your cockles into the simmering water, and cover until they open (3-4 minutes). Then, use a slotted spoon or tongs to remove them from the simmering water, and set them on a cutting board to cool slightly.
- Once your cockles have cooled enough, remove the meat from the shells. Then, rinse them again under running water.
- Melt some butter in a pan, and as it heats, sprinkle your cockles liberally with garlic powder.
- Sauté your cockles until golden brown, and then use a sharp knife to cut them in half longways to plate.
- Devour, and enjoy!
