How to prepare cockles


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.
534 K 3.7/5 (167 reviews)
Grade this recipe:
Keywords:
Last modified on: March 13th 2013
For 120 g, you will need:

Change these quantities to make:
Times for this recipe
Preparation: 25 min.
Resting: 1 hour
Cooking: 30 min.
All in all: 1 hour 55 min.
When should you start or finish this recipe?
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.
How to prepare cockles
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.

Stage 3 - 30 min.
How to prepare cockles
Leave to soak for another 30 minutes.

Repeat this operation until the water remains clear.

Stage 4 - 5 min.
How to prepare cockles
Chop 1 shallot.

Rinse the parsley, keeping the stalk.

Stage 5 - 2 min.
How to prepare cockles
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.
How to prepare cockles
Add 100 ml dry white wine and bring to the boil.

Stage 7 - 2 min.
How to prepare cockles
As soon as the white wine boils, add the washed cockles...

Stage 8
How to prepare cockles
...and cover.

Stage 9
How to prepare cockles
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.
How to prepare cockles
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.
How to prepare cockles
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.
How to prepare cockles
Rinse the cockles under cold running water to remove any remaining sand.

Stage 13
How to prepare cockles
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.
How to prepare cockles
Pour the contents of the pan into a smaller pan through a fine sieve.

Stage 15
How to prepare cockles
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.
How to prepare cockles
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).
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 recipe60 RDI=20 %20 RDI=2 %40 RDI=6 %650 RDI=30 %2,730 RDI: 30 %
Per 100 g5 RDI=2 %1 RDI=0 %3 RDI=1 %60 RDI=3 %240 RDI: 3 %
The % figures are calculated in relation to the Recommended Dietary Intake , or RDI of 2,000 k-calories (or 8,400 k-joules) per day for a woman Change to a man
Possible allergens in this recipe: Milk, Sulfites
How much will it cost?
  • For 120 g : 6.85 €

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
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...
138 K 14.7 2 hours 20 min.
Cockles and cabbage with smoky cream sauce
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.
21 K 1 hour 6 min.
Fillets of sole Dieppoise
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...
67 K3.9 1 hour 30 min.
Crusty cockle tart
Crusty cockle tart

A small puff pastry tart case filled with cockles in a cream and egg-yolk sauce ("a la poulette" in French).
102 K4.3 2 hours 55 min.
Creamy spaghetti with cockles and parsley
Creamy spaghetti with cockles and parsley

Parsley-flavored spaghetti with cockles, tied together with a creamy sauce made from the cockles cooking juices.
9,4271 60 min.
This recipe uses (among others)
Other recipes you may also like
Real custard sauce (crème anglaise)
Real custard sauce (crème anglaise)
Real custard or vanilla sauce consists of egg yolks beaten with sugar and cooked slowly in vanilla milk. It is the base or the accompaniment for many desserts.
January 17th 2018409 K 24.3 45 min.
Sugar syrup
Sugar syrup
This syrup is mainly used as a basis for all sorbet recipes, which consist of this syrup and fruit pulp, but it can be also used to soak biscuits for example, or for fruit salads.
February 21th 2011742 K3.5 8 min.
Tartiflette
Tartiflette
A personal version of a classic recipe from Savoy.
September 16th 2019595 K 14.6 1 hour 30 min.
Koulibiak in pie dish
Koulibiak in pie dish
Koulibiak is a traditional russian recipe from, usually served in a flat puff pastry fish shape. Here is an easier version, in a pie dish.
September 7th 2018361 K3.8 3 hours 20 min.
Panna cotta
Panna cotta
Panna cotta is an Italian dessert which means "cooked cream". It's a set vanilla cream, similar to blancmange, which is frequently served with other things like fruit coulis (fruit purée), caramel etc.. Here is the basic panna cotta recipe.
February 21th 2011343 K4.3 25 min.
News list of cooking-ez.com

Sign up to receive the latest recipes (next batch due to be sent on 2024-10-06)

*Your e-mail Your first name or nickname
I am not a leaving thing
Note: We'll never share your e-mail address with anyone else.
Post a comment or question
Posted by:
I am not a leaving thing
The 1 comment already posted on this recipe
  • Just made this. It was delicious! very easy to follow your instructions.
    Many Thanks!
    Posted by Anonymous may 2nd 2016 at 09:58 n° 1
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.
I am not a leaving thing
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.

Back to top of page