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.
309,568 14.1/5 for 74 ratings
Last modified on: March 13th 2013
For 120 g, you will need:
1 kg 
1 
How long does it take?
Time required for this recipe:
Keeping: A few hours in the fridge in a sealed container or covered with plastic film.
| Preparation | Resting | Cooking | Start to finish |
|---|---|---|---|
| 25 min. | 1 hour | 27 min. | 1 hour 52 min. |
At what time?
- When will I finish if I start the recipe at a certain time?
When should I start for the recipe to be ready at a certain 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 10 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 100 ml 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).
Nutritional information
How much will it cost?
- For 120 g : 6.81 €
Recipes that use this recipe: 4
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Source
Home made.More recipes?
This recipe uses (among others) | Cockles: You can get more informations, or check-out other recipes which use it, for example: Crusty cockle tart, Fisherman's Ragout, Tagliatelle with cockles, Fillets of sole Dieppoise, ... All |
 | Dry white wine: You can get more informations, or check-out other recipes which use it, for example: Seven-hour lamb, Langoustine gratin, Quiche Bretonne, Rillons de Tours, Melt-in-the mouth meat and vegetables in a sealed casserole, ... All |
 | Butter: You can get more informations, or check-out other recipes which use it, for example: Potato and broccoli gratin, Langoustine sabayon tart, Sautéd broccoli with ham, Shortcrust pastry (pâte brisée), Red rice pannequets, ... All |
 | Parsley: You can get more informations, or check-out other recipes which use it, for example: Crunchy Cauliflower Salad with Lemon, Lentil and cold-meat salad, Herb salad, Eggs with mayonnaise, Spaghetti with mussels and basil, ... All |
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