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We select the best canned cockles produced in Spain, highlighting those from the Galician Rias.
All of them are exquisite, and are ideal to enjoy as an appetizer. In Casa Ballester we love canned food and our passion is to discover brands and products to choose those that we like the most and incorporate them into our store in the Mercado de Verónicas in Murcia and online sales.
And today we are going to tell you which are our favorite brands of canned cockles, so you can choose not only according to the price, but the quality and affection with which they work this product of the sea their makers.
Choosing canned cockles
Before choosing a cockle preserve, we recommend you:
- First tip, the price marks a minimum quality.
Therefore, it is better to forget about the lower-priced cans, which usually include imported products of poor quality, and more sand than a child’s swimsuit at the beach.
In order to enjoy a quality product, it is not always necessary to choose the most expensive one, although who can refuse a gourmet treat from time to time? - Second tip, provenance does matter.
And when it is a guaranteed origin, it is clearly reflected on the packaging.
In Spain we have Galicia, with its estuaries, and the Cantabrian Coast as main producers, and where the most valued canneries were installed decades ago. - Third tip, the pieces per can mark their size.
This number comes on the package, and the most economical size is usually 45-55 pieces, but the most consumed is between 35-45, with a little more caliber.
The medium and large size, from 30 pieces, is usually found in top brands.
If the package doesn’t say anything, be prepared for the worst, they will be tiny pieces.
Best Galician cockle canned food brands
In the following list we show our TOP brands, and our favorite canned cockles.
Conservas Ramón Peña
Ramón Peña has a canning tradition since 1920.
All its cockles come from the seasonal catches of the Galician Rias, the most valued fishing area for shellfish farming.
In the elaboration of their canned cockles, no preservatives, colorants or whiteners are used, which together with a careful classification of raw materials and their ancestral artisan processes, offer small gastronomic jewels ready to enjoy at any time.
Conservas José Peña
From the moment we have its careful packaging in our hands we realize the great quality of the product that awaits us.
The canned giant cockles from the Galician Rias are purified for 24 hours to lose the sand and then cooked in sea water.
They are packed by hand, one by one, counting their pieces and selecting the most perfect viands.
Portomar Preserves
Its factory is located in the heart of Rías Gallegas, creating artisan canned products since 1955, like the ones from the old days.
In Conservas Portomar tradition is combined with innovation, to obtain a high quality product with 100% natural ingredients, without additives or preservatives.
Its differential value lies in the raw material, which carefully selected from their origin in the Galician Rias.
After the selection, they are purified with sea water, preserving their natural habitat and eliminating the sand.
Each piece is selected and packaged by hand, offering a very careful presentation to give the cockle the prominence it deserves.
Canned FRINSA
Frinsa is one of the Galician canneries located in the town of Ribeira.
It was founded in 1961, and specializes in canned seafood from the Galician Rias and fish from the Cantabrian and Atlantic.
Frinsa Cockles come only from the Ría de Noia, acquired in Galician fish markets.
Its elaboration includes the selection, cleaning and canning completely by hand, one by one, giving rise to a gourmet canned product of the highest quality, identified by the manual placement of the pieces, by its extraordinary size, and its intense flavor.
Daporta
Daporta Gold Series is one of the most recognized Galician canning brands, and represents the most deeply rooted canning tradition since 1940.
DAPORTA Cockles are packed in a traditional way and are selected directly by the cannery in the Galician fish markets.
Shellfish
This small cannery is in its third generation of canners, and has managed to maintain the traditional know-how while incorporating innovation to maintain optimum product quality.
Mariscadora Cockles come only from the Galician Rias.
For their packaging they are purified, cooked in sea water and once calibrated they are packed by hand to avoid damage, thus achieving a careful presentation.
Arlequin Preserves
Arlequín is a Cantabrian family company, located in Santoña and dedicated since 1920 to the manufacture and commercialization of canned and semi-canned products.
Among its products, it produces canned cockles from catches from the Galician Rias.
When the mollusk arrives alive, it is shucked and cooked for 5 minutes at 100 degrees, shucked and washed in brine to eliminate impurities.
It is then packaged.
Consumption recommendations
Canned cockles, like other canned seafood, have a long shelf life in cans, and can be kept for years in dry places, without direct light and fresh.
As long as they are not opened, it is not necessary to keep them in the refrigerator.
Depending on the areas where they are consumed, cockles are served at room temperature or slightly chilled, to enhance their flavor.
A trick to taste the fresh product, ideally around 10º-12º, is to put the can in ice or in the freezer for 5-10 minutes before opening.
To consume, they can be seasoned with a few drops of lemon or vinegar or directly in their natural state.
They are ideal to accompany with a dry white wine, vermouth or a good cold beer.
Once opened, it is not recommended to leave them in the can, but to transfer them to a closed glass or plastic container and store them in the refrigerator for 2-3 days maximum.
In Casa Ballester we offer the best gourmet canned cockles from the Galician Rias, selected directly by us, and with the maximum guarantees to enjoy the most of its flavor.
Enter our online store or visit us at the Casa Ballester stand in the Veronicas Market, floor 0, tell us which brands you like the most!
