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Product information
The cockle is a bivalve mollusk with a characteristic, convex, and almost heart-shaped shell. The exterior features distinct ridges and growth lines and varies in color from white-beige and ochre-yellow to rust-brown shades. Inside, there is delicate white meat with a small orange thickening, also known as the 'coral'. The cockle has a full, refined flavor with a slightly briny accent.
Cockles average between 1.5 and 3.5 centimeters in size, but larger specimens can reach a size of 5 to 6 centimeters. The growth lines on the shell tell the life story of the cockle, as it were, and can reflect periods of growth, stress, and temperature changes, among other things.
52 weeks a year
North Sea
MSC
Origin
Cockles are found along the Atlantic coast, in the North Sea, and in the Mediterranean Sea. They live shallowly buried in sandy and muddy bottoms and feed by filtering small food particles from the seawater.
In the Netherlands, cockles are harvested by hand at low tide. Special rakes are used to collect the cockles from the seabed. Mechanical cockle fishing is prohibited in the Netherlands.
Other information
The cockle is available all year round and has a shelf life of about five days. On average, a cockle lives 2 to 4 years, although some specimens can reach an age of about 10 years.
The name 'cockle' originates from the Latin concha, meaning 'shell'. In the wild, the cockle is on the menu of crabs, starfish, eider ducks, gulls, and oystercatchers, among others. Like mussels, cockles were formerly seen primarily as simple food for the less affluent. Nowadays, however, they are appreciated as a refined shellfish and are beloved by gourmets.
