Ingredients
Periwinkle, limpet, and top-shell
Other Names: Periwinkle: Alikruik (Dutch); bigaro, mincha (Spanish); bigorneaux, vigneau (French); burrelho (Portuguese); moustokarfi (Greek); strandschnecke (German); tamakibi (Japanese); winkle. Littorinidae. Limpet: Bernique, chapeau chinois, patelle (French); crogan (Cornish); lampa (Spanish); lapa (Portuguese); opihi (Hawaiian); patella (Italian); petallída (Greek); schusselmuschel (German); tepelhoidje (Dutch); venis (Brittany); yomegakasa (Japanese). Patellidae. Top-shell: Bigorneaux (French); caracol gris (Spanish); chiocciola marina (Italian); minare (Turkish); tróchos (Greek). Trochidae.
General Description: Periwinkles (Littorina littorea) have been a popular food for a long time; large numbers of their small spiral shells were found in prehistoric mounds in northern Europe. Today they are often served as a bite-size morsel called an amuse-guele (“tickle the throat”) in European luxury restaurants.
The limpet (Patella vulgata and others) is a small gastropod with a shallow, cone-shaped single shell found all over the world clinging to rocks. There are several types of limpets in Hawaii, where they are a traditional food. Limpets have flavorful but tough meat that can be consumed raw or cooked. Their strongly flavored juices are used to make rich sauces. Top-shells (Monodonta turbinata) are small spiral-shelled sea snails with dark checkerboard-like marking so they resemble toy tops. They are popular in Europe and similar species may be found in Asian markets.
Locale and Season: Limpets and periwinkles are found in the eastern and western Atlantic, but are most popular in Europe. Limpets are best from January to March.
Characteristics: Most limpets are less than 3 inches long, usually gray, yellowish, or brown. European limpets are somewhat larger than American. Periwinkles are small with
snail-shaped shells, usually dark gray or brown though sometimes white-green or rust red. Top-shells are a bit more than 1 inch long with small, flavorful meats.
How to Choose: Choose periwinkles, limpets, and top-shells with their little doors securely shut (a sign that they’re still alive). They should have a clean, briny sea aroma.
Storage: Refrigerate 1 to 2 days, covered with a damp cloth.
Preparation:
1. Wash periwinkles, limpets, and top-shells in a colander under cold water.
2. Boil 3 minutes in salted water with desired flavorings.
3. Pick periwinkles and top-shells out of their shells with a pin and pull off the operculum, the little door, before eating. Scrape or pull limpets away from their shells before eating.
Suggested Recipe: Poached Periwinkles or Limpets (Serves 4): Poach 6 dozen periwinkles or limpets 5 minutes in a wide pan in a little court bouillon (broth flavored with onion, celery, parsley, thyme, bay leaf, black pepper, lemon zest, and white wine) with the liquid coming only halfway up the shells. Spoon into hot bowls, swirl 2 to 4 tablespoons butter into the broth, and pour over the periwinkles. Serve with crusty bread.
Flavor Affinities: Bacon, bay leaf, butter, capers, cayenne, celery, garlic, lemon, olive oil, onion, scallion, thyme, white wine.
from Quirk Books: www.quirkbooks.com
