Whelk

Bulot

What it is

It is a hunter rather than a filter feeder: it wedges the lip of its own shell between a bivalve’s valves and pushes its proboscis in, which is why whelk pots are baited with crab instead of being left to fill. Nearly all the French catch comes from a single bay off the Cotentin, and Bulot de la baie de Granville now carries a European protected geographical indication.

In the kitchen

Start them in cold court-bouillon, count twenty minutes from the boil, then take the pan off the heat and let them cool in their own liquid — that last step, not the timing, is what keeps them tender. Pull the black spiral off the tail before serving, and buy medium sizes; the biggest are always rubber.

Goes with

Butter Shallot White wine vinegar Bay leaf Black pepper Parsley Lemon Carrot

In season alongside

Abalone Salt marsh lamb Japanese abalone European conger Gurnard Irish moss

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