The Seafood Merchants, Ltd.

(847) 634-0900

Availability: All year round

Size:  20 - 25ct/lb

These barnacles are a crustacean harvested by hand off the West Coast of Vancouver Island. They grow on rocks in the intertidal zone. Gooseneck barnacles are virtually unknown in this country but are appreciated with enormous enthusiasm in Spain and Portugal. These extraordinary creatures consist of a tube of meat, about the thickness of a finger, covered with a dark leather-like skin. On this is mounted a sort of hoof, a pair of white bony pads, under which the animal resides. When served, the outer skin is peeled off and all the meat below the hoof is eaten. They can be served raw, as in a ceviche or cocktail, or boiled first for about a minute and a half, and then peeled. Gooseneck barnacles have a wonderful crab-like flavor with a scallop-like texture and are particularly delicious during the summer when they are full of eggs.