Percebes are a Spanish delicacy. They grow on rocks on the Spanish coast, and are apparently quite dangerous to harvest. Percebes are typically steamed or flash boiled.
Frankly, the Percebes are quite scary looking. They look like small clawed legs of a crustacean of some sort, with a hard shell on one end and a leathery tube on the other. At the Market of San Miguel in Madrid, Spain
http://www.mercadodesanmiguel.es/
My photo blog:
Mercado de San Miguel
We stumbled upon these rare delicacies as we walked around Mercado de San Miguel. After ordering a plate, we tried all sorts of ways to crack open the "shell" but to no avail. We then turned to other patrons for advice. Apparently, the correct way to eat them is to squeeze the tube near the shell and then twist, and suck the flesh out. Garnished with a sprinkle of rock salt, the taste of the Percebes was quite intriguing, somewhat like a fresh oyster with the texture of a clam.
We are not sure if Percebes is popular among the Spanish people as they weren't a common sight. While in San Sebastian, we found more Percebes at a seafood market 
charging 45€ per kg! Expensive, but definitely worth a try.
charging 45€ per kg! Expensive, but definitely worth a try.
1 comment:
I never had barnacles before. What does it taste like? To what seafood does it get close to in terms of taste? I presume yhe consistency is firm.
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