Gooseneck Barnacles

Do not be frightened!  No, I did not go on the Jurassic Park movie set and take a bunch of dinosaur toe and dinosaur finger props from the set. These are fresh and local gooseneck barnacles! Say what?

Gooseneck barnacles are a rare delicacy. These odd looking sea crustaceans are named because they are shaped like a gooseneck and live attached to hard surfaces of rocks in the ocean. Fisherman will go out to the sea and when it is low tide, and when the sea conditions are ideal, they will use a long and sharp hand tool to pry and remove the gooseneck barnacles from the rock.

You can only get them in certain regions of the world.  They are very popular in Spain and Portugal (also known as percebes) and in very high demand, therefore quite expensive. They are considered far superior to lobster and prawns. They are not as well known in North America (yet) however you can get them in some Western regions of the United States and Canada.  I didn’t know what a gooseneck barnacle was until about 2 years ago, when I was watching a travel food show on television and I was so intrigued by them when I saw someone eat one and he described it as ‘the taste of the sea.’   I have always wanted to try one and I missed my opportunity when I was in Spain.

However, I found out we have fresh gooseneck barnacles right here in BC! They are harvested in Vancouver Island and the season is very short. My HB had called a seafood wholesaler near Granville Island in advance to ask about whether a fresh shipment of gooseneck barnacles had come in.  They said yes and immediately he went to pick some up. This was finally our opportunity to try them!

 

The fresh shipment of gooseneck barnacles

Although they do not look very aesthetically pleasing and they do look a little obscene, I can also say that about a lot of other seafood that tastes delicious. What about geoduck, or oysters or uni (sea urchin) or razor clams? Not the prettiest thing to look at but they taste great.

You can eat these steamed or boiled. You then peel off the outer skin and you eat the meat inside. This is what the meat looks like below.

Ready to eat now 

I noticed that the smaller they are, the better they taste.  The smaller ones have a better texture and are sweeter in flavor. If I had to describe the taste, I have to agree and say it honestly tastes like the sea. A little salty from the sea water, sweet and succulent.  It has a unique flavor but it almost reminds me of a combination of geoduck, clam and lobster.  Many fine dining restaurants in Vancouver are offering these for a limited time on their menu so you can either get them fresh from the local fisherman, or go to a restaurant and have them prepared by the chef.  Enjoy!