|
SPECIES |
Cockles |
|
BINOMIAL NAME |
Cerastoderma edule |
|
FISHING METHODS |
Cockle hand raking |
|
MSC CERTIFIED |
Dee Estuary and Bury Estuary (UK), the Wadden Sea (The Netherlands) (for more information on the MSC see here) |
|
TINNED OPTIONS |
Cockles in water |
A GLASS OF SALTY MANZANILLA MAKES A GOOD ACCOMPANIMENT TO COCKLES.
SPANIARDS love shellfish. You won’t find a tapas night without mussels, clams and cockles. These shellfish are in high demand. If fresh shellfish aren’t available, they’ll happily make do with tinned versions. Tinned cockles are great, because after harvest they’re immediately cooked in their own juices and packaged. The cooking liquid is salty and some sandy sediment is not uncommon. A glass of salty manzanilla makes for a good accompaniment to cockles. This sherry from the southern Spanish coast is aged in open storehouses where the sea-salt-heavy Atlantic winds blow freely.
MANY cockles – the berberechos – are harvested off the Galician coast in northern Spain, but the catch is not sufficient to supply the high demand. The Spanish have found an ally in the Dutch, who themselves prefer imported vongole to their own fleshy cockles from the Wadden Sea. Perhaps a spaghetti alle cockele will convince them.
A tin of cockles can be quite pricy, because one tin contains many of these little shellfish, and because of the low demand in the UK, it can be tricky to get hold of tinned cockles. You could purchase them online, or a well-stocked fishmonger will sell them and many Spanish convenience stores will stock tins of berberechos. If you’re in one of those stores, also get your hands on some fresh chorizo and Spanish rice. These go well with mussels and cockles to make a delicious arroz. Add a glass of white wine and enjoy these Spanish delicacies.
WITH rhythmic movements, the photogenic Sjors rakes the seabed of the Engelsmanplaat, a sandbank between Ameland and Schiermonnikoog in the Wadden Sea. Sjors is hip-high in the fast-flowing water. A few more scrapes and it’s back to the mother ship on a dinghy full of cockles. This raking technique ensures enough cockles are left for the oystercatchers. The fishermen have agreed to leave certain sandbanks in peace and to keep to yearly catch quotas. The MSC-certified cockle fishery in the Wadden Sea is a shining example of fishing while respecting the environment.
MAIN COURSE
SERVES 4
MOUCLADE, mussels in a creamy curry sauce, is a staple in French cuisine from the coastal town of La Rochelle. The French also enjoy their cockles with curry flavours, as in this coqlade.
2 garlic bulbs
250g/9oz chestnut mushrooms
olive oil
2 red onions, chopped
25g/1oz butter
3 onions, finely chopped
3 tsp curry powder
1 glass of dry white wine
100ml/3½fl oz/scant ½ cup whipping cream
100ml/3½fl oz/scant ½ cup crème fraîche
5 saffron strands
200ml/7fl oz/generous ¾ cup chicken stock
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tins of cockles (120g/4¼oz each), drained
1 baguette, to serve
• Preheat the oven to 170°C/325°F/gas 3.
• Wrap the bulbs of garlic in kitchen foil. Roast in the oven for 30 minutes until the cloves have softened.
• Clean the mushrooms with a brush and cut into quarters.
• Heat a splash of olive oil in a frying pan. Fry the mushrooms on a medium-high heat until golden brown on all sides.
• Remove the mushrooms from the pan, sprinkle with black pepper and set aside.
• Take the garlic out of the oven and leave to cool.
• Heat the butter in a large, heavy-based pan and fry the finely chopped onions until they’re translucent. Add the curry powder and leave to fry for 2 minutes over a low heat.
• Deglaze by pouring in the white wine, and boiling for a minute or so, stirring all the time.
• Cut the top off the bulbs of garlic and squeeze out the cloves. Add the garlic paste to the curried onions.
• Add the cream, crème fraîche and saffron. Leave to simmer very gently for a few minutes. Do not allow the mixture to boil or the crème fraîche may separate.
• Add the chicken stock and a pinch of salt and leave to simmer for a few more minutes.
• Just before serving, add the mushrooms, red onion and cockles.
• Finally add a couple of decent cracks of black pepper and serve with slices of fresh baguette.
STARTER
SERVES 4
olive oil
1 baby fennel bulb, chopped
2 courgettes, chopped
5 tbsp chicken stock
a few sprigs of flat-leaf parsley
2 tins of cockles in water (120g/4¼oz each), drained
sea salt and freshly ground white pepper
a handful of chives, finely chopped
• Heat a splash of olive oil in a frying pan over a medium heat. Fry the fennel and courgette for a few minutes, making sure you do not colour the vegetables.
• Add the chicken stock, turn the heat down to low and simmer until the fennel is tender.
• Add a few sprigs of flat-leaf parsley, then purée the soup with a stick blender. You want a chunky consistency.
• Season with salt and pepper.
• Divide the soup among four bowls, then add the cockles to the bowls.
• Drizzle over a little more olive oil and garnish with the chives.
