Mmm cockles

[Damien]

Forget the meagre Goolwa offerings, I managed an hour down here at Nelson this week. Got 4kg of massive cockles, really easy here and an ace bait....apparently. There's no close season or size limit in Vic but I only took the bigger ones. The biggest ones measured 70mm+! More like oysters. We did go searching for bait but when I got home I thought nah, I've got enough bait. So I cooked them up in seawater and oh yes, bit of vinegar and white pepper. Just like being back in Essex! My Ozzie mates think I'm mad now - 'mate, you're eating bait dude'! Yes I am, at least my belly'll be full.

[wizzywozza]

That's why they are so expensive in the bait shops up here in Adelaide (and sometimes in very short supply) .............. the Asians have been buying them all because they like to cook them to eat.

[Damien]

They're not as good as the UK ones, they're a bit meatier but still bloody good. I remember coming off the boat in the UK and buying freshly caught cockles, nothing better! These ones are but much bigger but miss that refreshing sea taste.

The price is high for a few reasons, no.1 being the Asian food market but also due to the closure at the back end of last season for ecoli reasons. This year has seen the restrictions relaxed so go and bag a feed while you can. Just purge them in an onion bag in sea water for 24 hours so they lose the grit ;)

I've managed a few crays for xmas , should be a good South East feed!

[Maggiemoo]

Irish ones are the best - cooked in milk, water, black pepper. I remember cockling in Wexford in my very young childhood, that was great but the eating was the best!

[Damien]

Cooked in seawater on the boat can't be beaten. Here it's get them from the beach, gotta learn the cockle shuffle!

[Plumboz]

leigh cockle sheds ??