Gathering Limpets
Gathering Limpets is probably the least popular beach foraging activity as most people don’t see them as food. They have a lovely flavor and if you don’t mind the chewy texture, you have a huge amount of free seafood that you can find on almost every single beach in the UK.
What are Limpets?
The Limpet is a mollusk that is actually a type of aquatic snail. Unlike mussels and clams it is not a bi-valve filter-feeding creature, but instead scrapes algae off of rocks with its many sets of tiny teeth.
The Limpet has a single large sucker-like foot which it uses to slowly move around in search of food and can also clamp itself to a rocks surface with considerable force to prevent it from being picked up or washed off.
They are very easy to identify as they all have a cone-shaped shell and will always be found on flat rock surfaces close to the water.
Where to find them
You can find limpets on pretty much any beach where’s there’s rocks near the water. They live all around the coastline of most countries and are especially common in Europe.
Rock pools are always a good bet as you can find any amount you like here, just make sure that the rocks are underwater at hide tide.
Gathering Limpets
As soon as a limpet knows you are there, it will clamp down on the rock and be much harder to remove. The cone shaped shell means that you cant just grab them and pull, as often they are clamped down much tighter than you will be able to grip and pull.
Grab a rock or stick and give them a swift sideways hit to knock them off before they can clamp down. The only way they can detect you is if you touch their shell, so you’ve really only got one shot to knock them off. If you try and knock them off after they have clamped down you will probably smash the shell and just crush them to death.
Cleaning and Cooking Limpets
The best way to cook and clean a limpet is simply just to boil them. Give them a quick rinse in the sink and then drop them straight into some boiling water. The shell will come off almost straight away but you should wait about 5 minutes until they are cooked properly.
When they are cooked the only part that’s edible is the main sucker-like foot. Take everything else above it off and discard, rinse the meat in some water and remove any other bits that may be on top.
The limpets are now ready to use in a recipe, though if you don’t want to use them straight away put them in a bowl of salt water and leave them in the fridge.
Limpet Recipes
Fried Limpet Bites
Take however many limpets you wish to use after you have cooked and cleaned them, and place them on a wooden chopping board or firm surface. Using a meat tenderizer, gently hammer them as flat as possible.
Take a sandwich bag or any kind of small mixing container, such as a food tub and add a little plain flour, some salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Give it a good mix and then sprinkle it over the flattened limpets, making sure to flip them so both sides are well covered.
Heat up your preferred oil and add the limpets, keep them moving in the pan so they don’t stick, and cook for 3 or 4 minutes, or until they have gone a nice golden brown on the outside.
Serve with your preferred sauce or even on a sandwich. The meat can be very chewy depending on how you cook it, but frying seems to be the best method for softening them up. Alternatively, with this recipe you could add a little water to the mix to create a batter to deep fry them in.
Garlic Limpets
Take your fresh live limpets and give them a rinse. Using a butter knife or a small spoon, scoop around the edge of the shell to get behind the muscle and pull the whole thing out of the shell. Remove the top part above the muscle and discard then wash out the inside of the shell. Place the shells open side up on a rack or something they could balance on and then prepare the garlic butter.
For the butter, I put a couple of spoonfuls of butter in a mug and add some finely diced garlic, then into the microwave for 5 seconds. Give it a good mix and then spoon a little onto each of the shells. Place a limpet back into each shell on top of the butter and then add more butter to the top of each. Place them in a preheated oven at 180c for about 30 minutes, or until the butter starts to go golden brown.
Now for the science stuff:
Average energy per 100 g: 90 calories
Average protein per 100 g: 18g
Average Carbohydrate per 100g: 0
Average cholesterol per 100g: 235mg
Average sodium per 100g: 700mg