How to prepare cockles
Cockles are small Atlantic shellfish which can be used in many delicious dishes. However, they need to be prepared with care before cooking.
Here is a simple way to do this.
Here is a simple way to do this.
1 hour 55 min.
Easy
60 g
6 IngredientsLast modified on: March 13th 2013
500 g 
½ 
½ sprig 
5 g 
50 g 
Times for this recipe
Preparation: 25 min.
Resting: 1 hour
Cooking: 30 min.
All in all: 1 hour 55 min.
If you start now, at , you will finish around : ?.Change start time
To finish around 7pm, you'll need to have started before: .Change end time
Step by step recipe
Stage 1 - 30 min.
Tip the cockles into a large container of cold water. Stir them round briefly and leave for 30 minutes.
Stage 2 - 3 min.
After this time, remove the cockles form the water. It is important not to tip the contents of the container through a sieve (which will not extract the sand), but remove them carefully from the water.
See how on this video.
Discard the water, rinse out the container, refill it with clean water and put the cockles back in.
See how on this video.
Discard the water, rinse out the container, refill it with clean water and put the cockles back in.
Stage 3 - 30 min.
Leave to soak for another 30 minutes.
Repeat this operation until the water remains clear.
Repeat this operation until the water remains clear.
Stage 5 - 2 min.
Melt 5 g butter in a large pan then add the chopped shallot and parsley, but do not add salt or pepper. Cook without colouring for 1 minute.
Stage 6 - 5 min.
Add 50 g dry white wine and bring to the boil.
Stage 7 - 2 min.
As soon as the white wine boils, add the washed cockles...
Stage 8
...and cover.
Stage 9
After a few minutes, the shells will begin to open. Stir them round in the pan so that those that are still closed are in the wine to give them the chance to open.
Stage 10 - 5 min.
After 3 or 4 minutes take out all the opened cockles, using a (spider) araignée or skimmer and put them in a sieve.
Stage 11 - 10 min.
Remove the contents of the cockles one at a time and discard the shells. Discard any cockles that have broken shells and any that have not opened.
Stage 12 - 2 min.
Rinse the cockles under cold running water to remove any remaining sand.
Stage 13
If you plan to use the cooking liquid to make a sauce, which is a very good idea, you will need to reduce it.
Stage 14 - 3 min.
Pour the contents of the pan into a smaller pan through a fine sieve.
Stage 15
Beware: the sand from the cockles will collect at the bottom of the pan, so it is important NOT to try and filter right to the last drop, but discard the liquid from the bottom (and the sand with it).
Stage 16 - 15 min.
Reduce the remaining saved cooking liquid by around half over low heat before using in your recipe.
Remarks
When preparing cockles, you will encounter two problems: sand, which is very unpleasant in the mouth (so do follow the advice to deal with this) and the saltiness of the cooking liquid. If you use this to make a sauce, do not add any salt.
Cockles are mostly shells and water: for 1 kg of cockles you will only end up with around 100 g of useful cockle meat (90% waste).
Cockles are mostly shells and water: for 1 kg of cockles you will only end up with around 100 g of useful cockle meat (90% waste).
Keeping: A few hours in the fridge in a sealed container or covered with plastic film.
Source: Home made.
Nutritional information
| Proteins (gr) | Carbohydrates (gr) | Fats (gr) | Energy value (in k-calories) | Energy value (in k-joules) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Whole recipe | 30 RDI=10 % | 8 RDI=1 % | 20 RDI=3 % | 330 RDI=20 % | 1,370 RDI: 20 % |
| Per 100 g | 5 RDI=2 % | 1 RDI=0 % | 3 RDI=1 % | 60 RDI=3 % | 240 RDI: 3 % |
How much will it cost?
- For 60 g : 3.45 €
Change currency: 
Note: Be careful, these prices are only an estimate, you can consult the table of prices by ingredients used for this estimate.
Some other recipes using this recipeSee them all 7
Creamy spaghetti with cockles and parsley
Parsley-flavored spaghetti with cockles, tied together with a creamy sauce made from the cockles cooking juices.
16 K1 60 min.
Fillets of sole Dieppoise
In principal, fillets of sole Dieppoise are poached and served with a creamy sauce and small shellfish. I am offering a new twist on the dish, with the fish sautéed rather than poached, a cream sauce flavoured with mussel stock, and served with shellfish (mussels, cockles and clams), mushrooms and...
74 K3.9 1 hour 30 min.
Fisherman's Ragout
This ragout combines vegetables (cut small and cooked until just tender in vegetable stock) with a mix of cockles and chunks of fish, all simmered together with cream and saffron.
104 K4.1 2 hours 20 min.
Breton style shellfish and vegetable soup
For this recipe with marine flavors, we will cook several kinds of shellfish, then add them to small creamed vegetables.
22 K 1 hour 45 min.
Tagliatelle with cockles
In this recipe, the cockles and pasta are prepared separately, then mixed with the sauce at the last minute. The cockles are first cooked quickly, then shelled carefully (I find it unpleasant to have to do this on the plate) and the cooking juices are used to prepare a cream sauce. The tagliatelle...
146 K 14.7 2 hours 20 min.
This recipe uses (among others)
Cockles
You can get more informations, or check-out other recipes which use it, for example: Breton style shellfish and vegetable soup, Cockles and cabbage with smoky cream sauce, Tagliatelle with cockles, Fillets of sole Dieppoise, Fisherman's Ragout, ... See them all 7
Dry white wine
Like these other recipes: Blanquette of veal, Curried prawn risotto, Purple artichokes braised in white wine, Saltimbocca, Jura bread, ... See them all 68
Butter
Like these other recipes: Kugelhof for Nanou, Tyrolean apple crumble, Craquelin (sweet cracker dough), "BN style" chocolate-filled biscuits, Kouign-amann brioche, ... See them all 468
Shallot
Like these other recipes: Rice and peas, Zucchini and tomato remoulade, Cretan-style salmon , Pork sautéed with green beans, Asian style, Scrambled eggs and leeks on toast, ... See them all 197
Other recipes you may also like
Fresh fruit in sabayon
Fresh grapefruit and / or pears, covered with a sabayon and a pinch of citrus crunch.February 21th 2011289 K4.7 55 min.
Marzipan (almond paste)
Very easy to do if you have a food processor which can slice or grate a lot of things.December 19th 2021634 K 34.5 15 min.
Ramekins of duchess potatoes
Duchess potatoes are a mix of mashed potato and egg yolks, cooked in the oven, in a decorative shape and delicious. In this recipe they top a ramekin containing a layer of mashed potato, cooked leek, and thinly sliced bacon.March 4th 2020299 K 24.6 2 hours 5 min.
Fish fillet in express cooking envelope
Vegetables cut in small dice and precooked, fish fillet, lemon juice, olive oil, and 2 minutes in the microwave.June 11th 2011346 K 23.8 1 hour 20 min.
Chocolate thins with toasted nuts
A very thin disc of chocolate, topped with toasted nuts and candied grapefruit peel.February 21th 2011261 K4 2 hours 25 min.
News list of cooking-ez.com
Sign up to receive the latest recipes (next batch due to be sent on 2025-05-25)
Note: We'll never share your e-mail address with anyone else.
Follow this recipe (as 9 people already do)
If you are interested in this recipe, you can "follow" it, by entering your email address here. You will then receive a notification immediately each time the recipe is modified or a new comment is added. Please note that you will need to confirm this following.
Note: We'll never share your e-mail address with anyone else.
Alternatively: you can subscribe to the mailing list of cooling-ez.com , you will receive a e-mail for each new recipe published on the site.
The 1 comment already posted on this recipe
Many Thanks!