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Caricoles
Caricoles: Brussels street-cart whelks in peppery celery broth
Caricoles are the whelks sold hot in paper cups from street carts in Brussels, at the Marolles flea market, the Place Sainte-Catherine and the Christmas market: the sea snails are simmered for an hour in a peppery broth with celery, onion, thyme, bay and a lot of black pepper and chilli, and you pick them out with a toothpick and drink the broth. Buy whelks live or freshly cooked from a fishmonger. Live whelks should be tightly closed inside their shells or retract when touched; throw away any that smell bad or have broken shells, and any that stay open and limp after cooking. A common mistake is skipping the purge, which leaves them gritty. Chef's tip: soak live whelks in salted cold water for an hour and rinse them several times, then start them in cold broth so they don't toughen.
- Total time
- 90 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
For the caricoles
- 3 ⅓ lb live whelks
- 3 tbsp saltfor soaking
- 10 ½ cups water
- 3 sticks celerysliced
- 1 onionsliced
- 4 sprigs fresh thyme
- 1 tbsp black peppercornscrushed
- 1 ½ tsp salt
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Method
0/4 doneStep 1: Soak 3 ⅓ lb live whelks in cold water with 3 tbsp salt for 1 hour. Rinse several times until the water runs clear. Discard any with broken shells or a bad smell. Common mistake: skipping this; gritty whelks.
Step 2: Put them in a large pot with 10 ½ cups water, 3 sticks celery, 1 onion, 4 sprigs fresh thyme, 3 bay leaves, 1 tbsp black peppercorns, 1 dried chilli and 1 ½ tsp salt.
Step 3: Bring slowly to a simmer and cook gently for 50–60 minutes, until tender when pulled out with a toothpick.
60 minStep 4: Discard any that stay limp and open or that smell off. Serve in cups with the broth and toothpicks.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 210 kcal
- Protein
- 30 g
- Carbs
- 6 g
- Fat
- 6 g
- Fibre
- 1 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does caricoles take?
- About 90 minutes in total: 30 minutes to prepare and 60 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- Is it very spicy?
- It has some heat. Use less chilli for a milder version, or more if you like it hot.
- What can I use instead of celery?
- Fennel bulb, same weight.
- What can I use instead of onion?
- 2 shallots per onion.
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