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Percebes, or goose barnacles, are among the most prized and perilous-to-harvest shellfish in the world, clinging to the wave-lashed granite rocks of the Galician and Cantabrian coasts where only the bravest percebeiros dare to collect them. Their flavor is intensely oceanic, unlike any other shellfish, evoking the cold Atlantic swell in every bite of their soft, trumpet-shaped flesh. The preparation could not be simpler: boiled for exactly 3 minutes in heavily salted water with bay leaves, then eaten immediately by twisting the shell from the stem and pulling out the tender flesh inside. To add anything beyond sea salt and boiling water is considered a culinary crime in Galicia.
Prep
5 min
Cook
5 min
Total
10 min
Servings
4 srv
Difficulty
Easy
Calories
155 kcal
For 4 serving(s)
Per serving
Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil; add coarse sea salt generously (the water should taste like the sea) and the bay leaves.
Rinse the percebes under cold running water to remove any sand or debris.
Add the percebes to the boiling salted water all at once.
Boil for exactly 3 minutes - no more, no less.
Drain immediately and arrange in a heap on a cloth-lined plate or tray.
Serve at once while steaming hot - they must be eaten immediately, never reheated.
To eat: grip the rubbery tube at the base, twist and pull to separate the flesh from the shell, and eat the tender interior in one bite.
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