Friday, November 13, 2009

Do you cook Periwinkles before you eat them or eat them raw and alive?

Periwinkles are a rarity in this country and are troublesome to eat, because they are so hard to get out of the shell. Cook them, oh, so briefly, because an overdone periwinkle will break apart when you try to get it out of its shell, causing untold frustration. Love honey

Do you cook Periwinkles before you eat them or eat them raw and alive?
wash the periwinkles in a colander under cold water as soon as you get them home, checking to see that their little doors are securely shut (a sign that they're still alive). Smell any that don't give evidence of being alive and toss them out unless they smell like the clean, briny sea. Cook them, oh, so briefly, because an overdone periwinkle will break apart when you try to get it out of its shell, causing untold frustration. Three minutes is the limit on cooking,the easiest method is to pop them in a pot of boiling water, spiced with a little cayenne pepper.





If you want to be fancy,poach them in a wide sauté pan in a little court bouillon, where the liquid comes only halfway up the shells of the beasts, spoon them into hot bowls, swirl a fair amount of butter into the court bouillion and pour it over the periwinkles. Serve with crusty bread, and be sure to pull off the operculum — the little doors — before you eat the periwinkles. 2 qt Water


1/2 c Carrots, chopped


1/2 c Celery, chopped


1 sm Onion -- chopped


1/4 c Parsley, chopped


1 Bay leaf


1 tb Fresh thyme, chopped


1 tb Fresh basil, chopped


2 Garlic cloves


10 Black peppercorns


1 t Salt


1/4 c White wine vinegar


1/4 c White wine





In a large saucepan place all of the ingredients.


Bring the liquid to a boil and then simmer it for 30


minutes. Let it cool.Court


bouillon is used mainly for cooking fish and


shellfish. Foods that are cooked in the liquid will


absorb the flavor of the ingredients in the bouillon
Reply:Wash them well and look for any dead ones. Make a tomato sauce, and get your pasta water going. 5 minutes before service throw your periwinkles in and let there flavor permeate the sauce, serve the pasta. and bring out the periwinkles and prepare to share some good times with your family and friends.


We used to do this every year when I was a kid in Sound Island CT, on the Long Island sound, we'd harvest our periwinkles and go to another family that had a campground and sit by the fire for hours picking the little guys out of there shells with toothpicks. Ah good times!


Have fun...
Reply:I don't eat anything raw. Periwinkles and like animals tend to soak up contaminants and pollution. You really should cook them for safety's sake.
Reply:What are Periwinkles?
Reply:Do not consume them
Reply:ew neither, i think they are icky. just my opinion tho


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