Impress your mates or date with this deep fried cockles recipe

• Vitamin B12 This vitamin is important for the normal functioning of the brain and nervous system and plays a key role in the formation of red blood cells.

• Iodine, naturally present in seawater, is a key constituent of the thyroid hormones, essential for the good functioning of the metabolic rate and to keep cells healthy.

• Iron is key in the making the red blood cells that carry oxygen around the body. Iron deficiency can result in anaemia.

• Selenium plays a key role in the human body’s antioxidant defence system, preventing damage to cells and tissues.

• Phosphorous helps to build strong bones and teeth, and to release the energy from the food we eat. All shellfish are a source of phosphorous.

• Copper helps produce red and white blood cells and triggers the release of iron to form hemoglobin.

• It is also important for infant growth, brain development, the immune system and for strong bones.

• Proteins are essential components of muscles, skin, bones and the body as a whole.

• 100g of cockles represents 12% of your recommended weekly intake of Omega-3 (based on a recommended 3000mg weekly intake)

• Cockles are a low calorie food. 100g of cockles contains only 53kcal compared to 180kcal in 100g of salmon. Vitamin B12 cannot be produced by the human body and has to be obtained from animal sources in the diet. Cockles contain over 23 times the amount of vitamin B12 than beef, wtf!

Deep Fried Cockles Recipe

Ingredients

150ml white wine

1.5kg cockles (Frozen will do if you can’t get fresh)

50g plain flour

50g cornflour

½ tsp baking powder

125-150ml lager

for deep frying vegetable oil

to serve malt vinegar

CHILLI-SALT (Optional)

1 tbsp flaky sea salt

¼ tsp smoked paprika

¼ tsp hot chilli powder

Method

STEP 1

Heat the white wine in a large pan until simmering, then tip in the cockles and cook for 2-3 minutes or until they just open. Drain. Once cool enough to handle, remove the meat from the shells. If you’re using frozen cockles cook them in boiling water for just 5 minutes, frozen cockles should already be de-shelled.

STEP 2

Whisk the flours, baking powder and some seasoning in a bowl, then whisk in the lager, slowly at first to avoid lumps, until a nice coating consistency.

STEP 3

Tip the chilli-salt ingredients into a mortar, and grind together with the pestle.

STEP 4

Fill a pan no more than ⅓ full with vegetable oil and heat to 180C or until a cube of bread browns in 30 seconds. Tip the cockle meat into the batter and mix well. Drop the cockles, individually if possible, into the hot oil – they will have a tendency to clump – and fry in batches for 3-4 minutes or until really crisp. Drain on kitchen paper, season with the chilli-salt and serve piping hot with malt vinegar, aioli, mayo or your favourite dip while you fry the rest.

Once all cooked serve with whatever tipple you have to hand, we prefer a lovely pinot noir which is a great accompaniment to deep fried cockles saturated in a lovely malt vinegar. Delicious.