The world's oceans are filled with a remarkable variety of edible creatures. Many of them, including clams and mussels, are easily harvested on foot at low tide. Barnacles are among the less-common shellfish harvested this way. The most valued barnacle for culinary purposes is the gooseneck barnacle. It's sweet and tender and usually cooked quickly by steaming or grilling.
Gooseneck Barnacles
The gooseneck barnacle is a native to the waters off Spain, Portugal and Morocco, but it has spread to many other areas by hitching a ride on freighters. Although they resemble mussels and other mollusks in their appearance, they're really crustaceans, like shrimp or crabs. Their sweet flavor resembles both of those other shellfish. They are roughly thumb-sized, with a small triangular shell and a long, leathery-looking "foot." This is the edible portion.
Habitat
Gooseneck barnacles can be found primarily on rocky shores in temperate waters. They grow long and narrow in calm areas but thick and meaty where the waves are powerful. They're a local specialty in the Spanish province of Galicia, where they're harvested from a dangerous stretch of coastline that regularly claims the lives of would-be barnacle harvesters. Their short season and dangerous harvest makes them one of the costliest varieties of seafood in Spain. In the United States, they're primarily found on the West Coast, and there is a budding barnacle industry in Washington and British Columbia.
Preparation
Purchase your barnacles only from reputable fishmongers, or harvest them yourself from an approved area. Check first with your local authorities because their harvest is tightly controlled in some jurisdictions. Keep them in clean seawater or in a cooler with ice packs until you get home. Scrub them gently with a soft brush to remove any surface grit, and rinse them under cold running water.
Grilling
Barnacles require quick cooking at relatively high temperatures, so heat your grill to approximately 400 degrees Fahrenheit. The barnacles are small enough to fall through the grate of most grills, so use a wire basket or mesh screen on your grill. Toss the barnacles with a small amount of oil, and season them with a few grains of sea salt. Grill for two to three minutes, shaking them if they're in a basket or turning them if they're on a screen. To eat, peel off the shell and pull away the leather skin to reveal the tender flesh underneath.
References
- Epicurious: Food Dictionary -- Barnacles
- Spanish Food.org: Spanish Seafood
- The Food Encyclopedia; Jacques Rolland et al.
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