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| Cockle sashimi platter. (China Daily/Pauline D. Loh) |
I wanted to see how our monster cockles were to be prepared and asked permission to go into the kitchen.
These cockles are slightly hairy, although Huang tells me they are a different species from the maohan, or hairy shells sold in northern markets.
The difference, the chef says as he cracks open a cockle with his Chinese cleaver, is that these are blood cockles. Sure enough, red juices drip as the chef expertly cleans the cockle and removes the dark bits.
The cleaned cockle is then placed in a bowl of crushed ice to which the chef adds lemon juice.
"That's to tighten the flesh of the cockle and improve its texture."
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