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
360 g
6 IngredientsLast modified on: March 13th 2013
3 kgs 
3 
3 sprigs 
30 g 
300 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 30 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 300 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 | 180 RDI=70 % | 50 RDI=5 % | 120 RDI=20 % | 1,960 RDI=100 % | 8,190 RDI: 100 % |
| Per 100 g | 5 RDI=2 % | 1 RDI=0 % | 3 RDI=1 % | 60 RDI=3 % | 240 RDI: 3 % |
How much will it cost?
- For 360 g : 20.45 €
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
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...
149 K 14.7 2 hours 20 min.
Cockles and cabbage with smoky cream sauce
I think you'll like this straightforward recipe which brings together cockles and cabbage with a smoky cream sauce.
31 K 1 hour 6 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.
25 K 1 hour 45 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.
108 K4.1 2 hours 20 min.
Crusty cockle tart
A small puff pastry tart case filled with cockles in a cream and egg-yolk sauce ("a la poulette" in French).
111 K4.3 2 hours 55 min.
This recipe uses (among others)
Cockles
You can get more informations, or check-out other recipes which use it, for example: Creamy spaghetti with cockles and parsley, Crusty cockle tart, Fillets of sole Dieppoise, Cockles and cabbage with smoky cream sauce, Tagliatelle with cockles, ... See them all 7
Dry white wine
Like these other recipes: Blanquette of veal, Melting Epoisses on toast , Crispy spinach rolls, Mussels marinière, Savoury French toast, ... See them all 68
Butter
Like these other recipes: Nantes Tourton, How to cook rice in rice-cooker, Hearty leek and sprout soup, Savoury French toast, Surprise eggs, ... See them all 472
Shallot
Like these other recipes: Eggs with mayonnaise, Spaghetti with mushrooms, Roast beef "like they do it in Santa Fe", Turnip top soup, Grilled fillet of salmon with corn-salad cream, ... See them all 203
Other recipes you may also like
Poire Belle Hélène
Poire Belle Hélène is a fairly simple cold dessert. The pears are poached in a vanilla-flavoured syrup, then served on top of vanilla ice cream with hot chocolate sauce poured over.November 22th 202383 K4.7 20 min.
Almond mug cake for Mary
Mug cakes are fun and quick to make. They cook in the microwave in about a minute and a half. This almond version is similar to the small cakes known as financiers.June 22th 2014113 K4.3 9 min.
Pitta bread
This Lebanese speciality is made as a flat round pocket, which can be filled with all manner of things.January 8th 2025530 K 14.5 2 hours 50 min.
Chocolate rolls (petits pains)
Here is a recipe for "real" chocolate petits pains, i.e. with a milk bread dough (not croissants dough) and with a stick of chocolate inside.October 30th 2021444 K4.6 5 hours 30 min.
Express chilli con carne
This is a really express recipe, a "true" chilli is longer and more difficult to do.February 21th 2011399 K3.8 35 min.
News list of cooking-ez.com
Sign up to receive the latest recipes (next batch due to be sent on 2025-07-06)
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!