Name: Cockles — small, round, bivalve molluscs with ribbed, heart-shaped shells, living in sandy shores and estuaries, especially the common cockle (Cerastoderma edule) of European coasts. They have a sweet, briny, slightly chewy flesh. The Shellfish page covers them from a food-safety angle.
Description
Cockles have been gathered from beaches for thousands of years in Britain, Ireland, France and Spain, and are a classic seaside food, sold in tubs with vinegar from stalls, along with whelks and winkles, in Britain. In Ireland, they appear in the song about Molly Malone and her “cockles and mussels,” and Wales has a tradition of cockles with laverbread and bacon. In Southeast Asia, blood cockles are boiled or grilled quickly.
Cockles are usually cooked briefly in boiling water until they open, then picked from the shell. Cockle beds have been associated with food poisoning, including hepatitis A outbreaks, in the past, so they should be properly cooked and sourced.
Main nutrition value
Cockles are very low in fat, and rich in protein, vitamin B12, iron, zinc and iodine, with omega-3 fats, and are among the richest food sources of iron among shellfish.
How best to be consumed
Cockles are boiled briefly, then eaten with vinegar or in dishes.
- Purge live cockles in cold salted water for an hour or more, then rinse and scrub.
- Steam or boil for 3 to 5 minutes, until the shells open, and discard any that stay shut.
- Serve with malt vinegar and pepper, on bread, or toss into pasta, chowder and stir-fries.
- Cook blood cockles thoroughly and do not eat them lightly boiled.
- Buy from regulated sources, and keep them cold.
Overconsumption could cause…
Cockles are healthy in food amounts, with food-safety points.
- Shellfish allergy, which can be severe and is usually lifelong, so anyone allergic must avoid shellfish and check labels.
- Shellfish poisoning (paralytic, diarrhetic or amnesic) from toxins made by algae that bivalves filter from the water, which cooking does not destroy, so buy from regulated sources and follow local shellfish warnings.
- Vibrio and norovirus infections from raw or undercooked shellfish, which can be serious in people with liver disease, diabetes or weak immunity. Blood cockles that are only lightly cooked carry a particular risk of hepatitis A and typhoid.
- Heavy metals such as cadmium and, in some waters, other pollutants, which shellfish can concentrate, so vary your seafood and buy from clean waters.
- High salt (sodium), which can raise blood pressure over time, especially in cured, smoked or canned fish.
Wikipedia — Common cockle, used for origin, naming and history: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Common_cockle
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