Serves 2 or 4 small tapas dishes
Ingredients
- 1kg x shelled fresh Penclawdd cockles
- table salt/ sea salt
- 1 x shallot, peeled & sliced
- 3 x large garlic cloves, peeled
- 335g x cherry tomatoes, sliced in halves (4 large handfuls)
- 1 x tbsp smoked paprika
- 1 x tsp dried chilli flakes
- 1 x tbsp white wine vinegar
- 1/2 x cup of cold water
- Black pepper
- Sea salt
- Vegetable oil
- 5-6 x fresh basil leaves, thinly sliced into strips
- 2 x large lemon wedges
- Optional – sourdough bread slices
Method
- Preheat the oven to 220°C 425°F, gas mark 7.
- Wash the cockles throughly under cold running water to remove any sand or dirt.
- Place the cockles into a bowl, filled with clean cold water. Place a teaspoon of table salt into the bowl. Allow the cockles to soak in the water for roughly 15 minutes.
- Place the shallot slices, garlic cloves and cherry tomatoes onto a roasting tray. Sprinkle smoked paprika and chilli flakes on top. Season with sea salt and ground black pepper. Drizzle vegetable on top. Bake in the oven for around 15 minutes, until golden and charred slightly.
- Preheat the hob to a medium heat. Add vegetable oil to a large saucepan. Add the baked cherry tomatoes to the pan. Add a dash of white wine vinegar.
- Drain the soaked cockles in a colander. Rinse with cold water once again and drain. Add to the same saucepan as the tomatoes, along with half a cup of cold water. Stir and place a lid on top. Allow to cook for a further 3-4 minutes or until the cockle shells have fully opened. Stir halfway through, to ensure all the cockles cook evenly. Discard any unopened cockles.
- Serve the cockles using a strainer ladle into the seperate bowls. Then distribute the juices evenly on top of each serving dish.
- Sprinkle fresh basil on top. Garnish with lemon wedges and a side of sourdough bread (optional) to soak up those juices.
Rebecca Castiglia 