Dog cockle

Amande de mer

What it is

The shell lays down one growth ring a year and never pauses, which is why researchers off western Scotland have aged dog cockles at close to two hundred years and built dated sea-temperature records out of them. The sclerochronologist reads the shell the cook throws away.

In the kitchen

It never gapes, so go in at the hinge with a stiff blade rather than a flexible oyster knife. Eat it raw within a day of landing: heat sets the adductor hard in under a minute, and nothing brings it back.

Goes with

Lemon Olive oil Shallot Fleur de sel de Guérande Hazelnut Chives Fennel White wine vinegar

In season alongside

Belon flat oyster Brown shrimp Dulse Abalone Japanese abalone Clam

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