Name: Barnacle gratin (Picorocos gratinados)
Yield: Serves 6
Cuisine: Chilean
Ingredients: 250 ml/8 fl oz/1 cup white wine; a little milk, if required; 2 egg yolks; 10 ml/2 tsp paprika; 2 onions, finely chopped; salt and black pepper; 45 ml/3 tbsp grated Parmesan cheese; 7.5 ml/1½ tsp plain (all-purpose) flour; 75 g/3 oz/3 tbsp butter, plus extra for greasing; a pinch of nutmeg; crusty bread and a green salad, to serve; 120 ml/4 fl oz/½ cup double (heavy) cream; 12 giant barnacles

Preparation info

Serves
6

Difficulty
Easy

Appears in

Food and Cooking of Chile

By Boris Basso Benelli

Published 2014

About

Barnacles are curious crustaceans that look almost like a bird’s beak in a shell. They grow to a great size along the coast of Chile and have an extraordinary marine-rich flavour. Infant barnacles are mobile, but the adults remain trapped in their shells and tightly fixed to the rocks, making them very easy to find and harvest. Cook in individual gratin dishes and serve with bread, salad and a cold beer!