Cockles in butter & chives

Spring

The Latin word for things that are connected to the heart is cardium. It’s the same word used to group the cockle genus. Perhaps it’s the shape of their corrugated grey shells that’s earned them this name, or perhaps it’s got more to do with the hard-working muscle inside, the one we so love to eat. Maybe Molly Malone could tell us the answer, she certainly knew a lot about cockles and mussels. I’ve always enjoyed cooking and eating cockles. At their best they are sweet, plump, meaty and full of character. The adornment of vinegar, although popular, does not do this wonderful bivalve justice. They are, without question, as versatile as the mussel, and they are equally easy to cook. So, think cockles next time you plan to cook mussels, and warm a few hearts on the way.

Serves 2

Ingredients

1 shallot, thinly sliced
2 bay leaves
1 thyme sprig
about 800g (1lb 12oz) live cockles in their shells, rinsed and any open or cracked shells discarded
100g (3½oz) unsalted butter, cubed
1 bunch of chives, finely chopped
squeeze of lemon juice
salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method

Set a large heavy-based pan over a medium–high heat. Pour in 150ml (5fl oz) of water, add the shallot, bay and thyme and bring to the boil. Add the cockles to the pan, give it a good shake and place a tight-fitting lid on top. Steam the cockles for about 2 minutes, keeping an eye on them the whole time. As soon as the shells have popped open, pour the contents of the pan into a colander set over a large bowl to collect all the wonderful cooking liquor. When the cockles are cool enough to handle, remove the cockle meat from the shells – I like to leave a few in place to garnish the dish.

Discard the bay and thyme, then pour all but the last few spoonfuls of cockle cooking liquor (the dregs may be gritty) slowly from the bowl into a clean small pan. Set it over a medium–high heat, bring to a simmer and reduce to a scant 150ml (5fl oz). With the pan still over the heat, add the butter and stir it well. When the butter is melted and the sauce is hot, stir in the chives and a squeeze of lemon juice and season with black pepper. Taste the sauce – it shouldn’t need salt, but you can add a pinch now if it does. Add the cockle meat, stir once or twice to heat through, then take the pan off the heat.

If you’ve left a few cockles in the shells, divide these between two bowls. Spoon over the cockles and hot buttery sauce and serve with fresh crusty bread and a salad, or some sliced ripe tomatoes dressed with extra-virgin olive oil, salt and red wine vinegar.

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