Who doesn't like cockles? Not me! But many will refrain from eating for fear of getting Hepatitis A. Yes, you do run the risk of getting Hepatitis A from eating contaminated raw or partially cooked cockles (you can too from any other contaminated shellfish like oysters, clams, mussels or la-la for that matter) but you can also easily contract it from contaminated food and water in general (by contamination, it means food and water contaminated by human waste like sewage-contaminated sea water). So, why only cockles get a bad rap for this? >_<
I've been reading a lot of articles in the papers last month about the shortage and dwindling supply of cockles from Kuala Sepetang, the largest cockle breeding ground in Malaysia. Harvest was reported to have dropped by 90% causing prices spiraling upwards for these cockles. Unless something is done to arrest this diminishing cockle yield, there will come a time when they will no longer be available. In fact, many cockle farmers have quit (or are planning to quit) because of the dwindling harvests, their cockles dying and the losses suffered.
After reading these articles, I went looking for a plate of cockles to appease my craving just in case I don't get to do that in future.
And what better way to eat cockles then to have them lightly blanched in hot water resulting in barely cooked, blood dripping cockles! :D :D :D I've not eaten it this way for a long time, so, I'm due for one, don't you think? I better have some before it's too late :)
To enjoy these almost raw cockles, you need a 'kick-ass' chilli accompaniment and this one fits the bill......a bit watery but it still kicks up a storm!
Just look at that plump and juicy cockle that needs just a dip in the fresh chilli sauce. Put it in your mouth and thank me later! *muacks*
Well, guess how much I had to pay for this plate of cockles? I think there were probably about 40 or so cockles on the plate. I'd say these are medium-sized, definitely not the puny small ones, with a few larger ones. I paid RM9!!! O_o I was like....what! I couldn't believe my ears! That just goes to show how much the price has gone up. T_T
The signs of trouble started since 2012 and if these problems are not resolved quickly, it'll only be a matter of time before cockles completely disappear from our favourite dishes like char kway teow, curry noodles and "lok-lok". I can't imagine my plate of char kway teow or bowl of curry noodles without cockles...it just won't be the same! :'( Of course, on the other side of things, some will not miss it at all especially those who have already omitted this 'forbidden fruit' from their diet.....for health reasons...I'm just not one of them!
You might not have the opportunity later, it's now or never. So, have yourself some blood cockles......they're bloody good!! ;)
I love cockles! My girl too! But we would only have it once in a long while. At the most, we will have those few miserable ones in our char kway teow usually.
ReplyDeleteYes, I'd love to have them more frequently but I know I shouldn't.
DeleteSo you are saying that the cockles are going to be extinct soon, so we should quickly eat them now and make them extinct faster? >.<
ReplyDeleteI don't know, do they have cockles farm to harvest cockles in a sustainable manner? If no then maybe someone should do it.
No, no, no....I'm not saying that they'll go extinct...these are cockles we are talking about, not some fish that has been overfished till extinction. With a 90% drop in harvest (due to harvesting mostly empty shells and the cockles taking a longer time to grow), I'm saying that there'll be less and less cockles available and we may one day have to import cockles and you can guess the prices then. Even now the prices are high and some hawkers have started to omit them from their noodles already :(
DeleteI love cockles too but I have not eaten them just by themselves like you did. I usually have them when I eat char koay teow. And I love them undercooked hee..hee... in spite of knowing the potential danger.
ReplyDeleteThat's the best way to eat them....undercooked and straight from the shells....hee...hee! :D
Deletei love cockles too, exactly like you, even though my mom used to frown whenever i ate them when i was a kid, cos she's a nurse and she worries about the medical stuff like hepatitis :) i've been concerned about the dwindling supply too - i had CKT last nite for supper, and asked for extra kerang, but unfortunately, i got rubbery, small and bland cockles in my latest CKT ... better luck next time, hopefully! :D
ReplyDeleteYeah, I noticed that these days the cockles in my noodles tend to be smallish too! :'( Funny thing was, when I was a kid, I didn't quite fancy cockles....just like I didn't fancy partially cooked liver....but now it's a whole different story.
DeleteIt has been so long since the last time when I handled them in their shells. Nowadays I eat them in curry mee or char kway teow.
ReplyDeleteThat's because of the bad rap cockles got and it's now getting more and more difficult to find hawkers selling them this way....lightly blanched and in their shells coz everyone tend to stay away from eating them...haiz!
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