Are limpets edible?!
Are limpets edible?
What would they go well with? I was thinking some kind of creamy white wine sauce.
Answers:
Yes, they are. And your sauce sounds fine as long as you don't overcook the limpets. I would put them in at the very end and simmer just a short time afterwards.
Limpets are univalve gastropod mollusks, extremely common on European coastal rocks. They have a characteristic recognizable Chinese-hat shape with a very rough shell.
Cooking tips
Wash the limpets well; insert the point of a knife to open the shell and detach the mollusk;
remove any dark sections; place the limpet on a work surface and tap it firmly with a wooden kitchen mallet to tenderize it without crushing it;
ideally, do not collect limpets during low tide when they have been uncovered too long;
though very common, limpets are rarely used in cuisine because the cooking is tricky. Overcooked for a few seconds and the flesh starts to toughen;
in Madeira, limpets are a traditional hors-d'oeuvre; the "lapas" are placed in sizzling garlic butter and become perfectly cooked in the time it takes to get from the kitchen to the table
Bert