Gathering Cockles
Cockles are one of the easiest to gather and tastiest shellfish you can find when coastal foraging. They are quick to cook and process and can be found in huge numbers, if you know where to look of course. Cockle populations change drastically and a list of locations today might not be any good in a few weeks, so instead it’s better to know the type of place to look and the signs there are cockles present.
So what are cockles?
A cockle is a bivalve mollusk, which means it is a filter-feeding shellfish. There are many different species of cockles and many types of similar shellfish are also loosely grouped into the category of “cockle” though only true cockles are those that are species belonging to the family called “Cardiidae”.
They are easy to identify, with all species having a very similar look. They resemble a heart shape when viewed from the side and have a rough ridge texture spanning the whole shell, with the exception of the “egg cockle” which has a smooth shell, though these are mostly found in far east Asia.
Cockles often breed in patches, where there will be thousands of tiny cockles hidden a few inches below the sand, waiting to get big enough to be able to venture out with a strong enough shell to protect them. They move very slowly though, with a single foot-like muscle taking tiny steps across the sand when they are submerged in water.
When above water they will often just stay clamped shut, or try and bury themselves again and wait for the next tide. If they detect anything nearby they will clamp both halves completely shut forming a tight seal which holds itself closed with considerable force considering its size.
Where to find cockles
Cockles can be found all over the world wherever the land meets their requirements. Flat sandy beaches are the best place to look, with the larger they are when the tide is out the better.
Cockles don’t attach to anything like mussels do and would get smashed to pieces on pebbles and rock-covered beaches. Also, any beach that’s too steep will cause them to wash into much deeper waters with each tide, so the flatter and larger the better. If the beach is flat but too small when the tide is out there won’t be enough suitable breeding ground for them, so head for the biggest flat plain beach you can find.
Estuaries are always a good bet, though wherever you decide to go make sure you check the tide forecast and make sure you’re not going to get cut off. One of the biggest dangers when on flat beaches is the tide can come in really fast, and there’s always the danger of it flooding a stream cut into a part of the beach behind you, so always keep an eye on it.
Gathering cockles
When you’ve found a good beach the best places will be quite far away from the land, which often involves following the tide as it’s going out. Make sure not to start gathering cockles too close to the start of the beach, you may be able to find a few there but most of them will have ended up there by accident and would have been exposed for longer, increasing the chance of them being dead.
A stream on llansteffan beach
When on the beach look for streams the tide has carved as it’s gone out. These little streams constantly change location on the beach but normally stay for long enough for cockles to breed in them along the banks. Don’t be afraid to have a good dig around, with a hand rake being a good tool as they normally bury themselves several inches below the surface for protection.
The larger ones can be found randomly lying on the surface but the best time to find these is as soon as the tide has gone out, as they slowly bury themselves until it comes back in again. An especially good time to find the larger surface cockles is the first low tide after a storm or a particularly rough sea, as the bigger ones that don’t normally venture so close to shore get washed up.
Gathering cockles from rock pools is another good option, but only those found further down the beach and normally the ones that have a large single rock instead of lots of smaller stones that may wash around when the tides in, again just have a dig around the edge of the pool and normally where you find one, you’ll find many.
When you find some it’s important to make sure you only take the live ones, as shellfish can go bad really fast and there’s no worse kind of food poisoning than from shellfish. The safest way to make sure one is alive is to simply touch it so it knows you are there at which point it should clamp tightly shut. They close quite fast and if they are alive and well will close shut tight enough so you won’t be able to pull them open with your fingers. I normally try to wedge my thumbnail into the part where the shells join to see if I can jam it open again. If it doesn’t open when you try then you know it’s a live one.
Cleaning and Cooking cockles
When you get home with your bag of shellfish it’s important to process them straight away, as the longer they are out of the water the greater chance of them dying before you can cook them.
The results of about 30 minutes of gathering
Step 1
Fill a saucepan big enough for them all with water and start heating it up to a good rolling boil.
Meanwhile, empty your cockles into the sink and give them a rinse in some cold water. Scrub off any large clumps of mud on the shells and give them a quick check-over to see if there are any open ones, and if so throw them away.
A dead cockle within the batch
Step 2
When the water is boiling add all of the cockles and make sure they are all completely submerged. As for cooking times this depends on how many you have. If you are doing a regular-sized saucepan full they only need about 5 minutes, but the best indicator will be the foam that forms on top. After a few minutes, a white foam will form and start to turn slightly brown with bits of sand, if this appears and it has been at least 5 minutes you’ll be fine.
Step 3
Put a colander in the sink and pour the cockles through it. There should be a lot of loose ones already but many will still be stuck inside one half of the shell. The fastest way to de-shell them is to grab the empty half of the shell and give it a quick whip, the cockle should come flying out into the bowl you realized you should have placed before shooting one at the kitchen window.
Step 4
When you have your bowl of de-shelled shellfish it’s now time to clean them. They will have small pocket-like flaps on both sides which can collect a good amount of grit, especially on the bigger ones. For any of the big ones simply rinse them under a tap while gently stroking the pocket which should easily rip open.
As for the smaller ones take a handful and gently cup them between your hands while holding them under the tap, slowly move them around but don’t squeeze them, just keep them tumbling around under the water.
The difference between a clean cockle and one with trapped grit
Step 5
Now you should have a bowl of fresh, cooked, and cleaned cockles ready for eating. But if you don’t want to eat them right away it’s important to preserve them. If you intend to cook with them fresh, then take a bowl and add enough water to cover them, add a good amount of salt, and mix in well, add the cockles and make sure to put them straight in the fridge. When you want to cook with them simply drain them off and maybe give them a rinse in some water depending on how much salt you used and how salty you want them. If you want them dry then drain off as much water as you can, then empty them onto a couple of sheets of kitchen towel and dab with another couple of sheets on top.
If you have any leftover cockles a good longer-term method to preserve them is to put them in a jar with some vinegar, I normally use standard malt vinegar, and place them somewhere cool.
Preserving times:
Fresh – A few hours, if you cook and clean them as soon as you get home they should be fine in the fridge for up to 24 hours, though I personally wouldn’t risk it past 12.
Saltwater – Up to 1 week in the fridge provided the salt concentration is high enough, though again you don’t really want to leave them for more than 3 or 4 days.
Vinegar – 2 Weeks open in the fridge, but if they are in a sealed jar with no extra oxygen they can last several months, though this is using professional packaging methods.
Cockle Recipes
Breakfast cockle pancakes
1/2 cup plain flower
1/2 cup milk or water
1/2 cup cockles
salt and pepper
Any additional batter flavorings, such as chopped chives, mustard, herbs, etc.
Start by making a basic batter, mix the flour and milk/water together until all the lumps have been smoothed out. Add additional flour to get to the right consistency, which should be quite thick.
Add the cockles and mix in well, then heat up a frying pan with a little butter and when nice and hot add a dollop of the batter mix to the pan so it spreads out into a small flat pancake.
Cook for 2 minutes on each side or until both sides have gone golden brown. Best served with bacon and BBQ sauce.
2 Table spoons of plain flour
1 levelled teaspoon of garlic powder
A generous shake of salt and pepper
1/2 cup cockles
Your preferred flavourings (bear with me here)
A mixing container such as a sandwich bag or plastic food tub with a lid.
My prefered ingredients for popcorn cockles
Step 1
Add all the ingredients except the cockles to the container, I always use a sandwich bag, and give them a good shake until well mixed. As for your preferred flavorings, you can use any dried ground herbs or powered spice you like. I normally grab whatever looks good on the spice rack at the time, though one mixture that’s worked particularly well for me is a Chinese 5 herb mix combined with a Mexican spice blend, though you can use any dried flavorings you like.
Step 2
drain your cockles if they were in salt water and dab with kitchen towel until they are slightly moist, then add them to your mixing bag or container and give them a good shake. Make sure all of them are well coated in the mixture and then empty the container into a sieve to remove any excess mixture.
Step 3
Heat up a frying pan with some oil and get it good and hot, then add your cockles and keep frying them until they start to turn golden brown, this only takes 3 or 4 minutes. A good indicator of when they are done is some of them will pop and jump around, when this starts to happen with several of them they should be good to go.
Now for the science stuff:
Scientific name: Agaricus Bisporus
Average energy per 100 g: 80 calories
Average protein per 100 g: 14g
Average Carbohydrate per 100g: 4.7g
Average iron per 100g: 17mg