How to safely remove limpets..(not Bear Grylls style)

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Stevie777

Native
Jun 28, 2014
1,443
1
Strathclyde, Scotland
OK, who watched Bear's wild weekend with Ben Stiller last night on channel 4.

Here if you missed it. http://www.channel4.com/programmes/bears-wild-weekends/on-demand/60926-001

Anyway, Bear left Ben with a "BG" Knife to harvest some limpets with the instructions to stick the knife under the limpet and try to prise it off.

If you want to skin your knuckles or possibly stab yourself yes that would be the route to go down, but there is a easier safer way to remove them.

When you find the limpet do not touch it. Even the slightest touch the limpet will clamp itself on the rock becoming extremely difficult to remove. Take a Blunt object, Rock, Stick whatever and without touching the limpet give it a sharp dunt, the limpet wont have enough time to react and clamp on to the rock and comes off very easily.
if you are removing seaweed to expose the limpet do it slowly so as not to give the game away..

Cheers, Happy limpet hunting..

Oh and Ps,

I have seen this on two TV programs in the past couple of weeks, The Time Team and Last nights show.

When you cook the limpet it will slide easily from the shell. There is a black bag under the muscle part, Personally i wouldn't eat that part as did Ben and Phil on Time team, Yuk!
Dont know for sure but i'm guessing that's the crap or digestive system bag, disregard that part and eat the big meaty part with the horns.

A bit rubbery but it's a meal at the end of the day and if you add some garlic it's a good un. Enjoy.
 

cranmere

Settler
Mar 7, 2014
992
2
Somerset, England
I agree, a rock is the way to go, they come off easily if you catch them by surprise. I find them pretty rubbery but they make a good tasting soup if you bash them to shreds. Or put seaweed on top of the remains of a fire, put them on top of the seaweed point down, cover with some more seaweed and let them steam for a couple of minutes. I wouldn't eat the black part either, it's unlikely to be a problem since limpets feed on the algae that grow on rocks but I don't much fancy it.
 

Stevie777

Native
Jun 28, 2014
1,443
1
Strathclyde, Scotland
I agree, a rock is the way to go, they come off easily if you catch them by surprise. I find them pretty rubbery but they make a good tasting soup if you bash them to shreds. Or put seaweed on top of the remains of a fire, put them on top of the seaweed point down, cover with some more seaweed and let them steam for a couple of minutes. I wouldn't eat the black part either, it's unlikely to be a problem since limpets feed on the algae that grow on rocks but I don't much fancy it.

Good idea with the seaweed. I usually cook them shell side down in the hot coals as i like the smokey flavour, but i'll be trying the steaming in seaweed trick on my next outing to the beach. Cheers.
 

Stevie777

Native
Jun 28, 2014
1,443
1
Strathclyde, Scotland
Thanks for the heads up, Having just gotten a copy of The Edible Seashore, I'm going to be doing a spot of foraging soon, I think :)
Go for it, You'll love it. Just be carefull that the shellfish open once cooked and any already open before cooking throw away.

I was up The North if Scotland in July, The plan was to live off seafood for a week, 4 days in and a family of four camped 30 yards down wind of me, The waft of Curries, Spag Bol and Burgers coming from their camp had me scurrying off to the nearest village for a Fish Supper on day 6. I know. I'm weak. :lol:
 

Goatboy

Full Member
Jan 31, 2005
14,956
17
Scotland
If you're after limpets when the tides out and it's a calm day it's worth remembering the paraphrased adage "Walk softly and carry a big stick." The limpets can feel you coming if you're heavy on your feet, and some rock types are worse than others. The limpets will brace themselves when disturbed. And as said a stick or stone is much better & safer than using your knife (and why risk damaging your knife? Sounds like bad planing on BG's part; or the telly folk thought it would look better!)
Can also be an idea to tenderise the limpets before cooking (if going in a stew/soup say) a little judicious use of the collecting stick once removed from shell can save a lot of chewing.
 

bopdude

Full Member
Feb 19, 2013
3,000
215
58
Stockton on Tees
Looking forward to it, can't wait to see what I can do, I don't think I'll be surviving on it Stevie, but a pot full of sea meat would be nice.
 

mousey

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Jun 15, 2010
2,210
254
42
NE Scotland
How long does it take for a limpet to relax? If you mess up the first bash how long do you have to wait till you can have another go [or just mash it to pieces!?] or as HH says if it's mates next to it hang on cause you've knocked his neighbour off
 

Goatboy

Full Member
Jan 31, 2005
14,956
17
Scotland
What if the Limpets are very closely situated and when you knock the first one off the others "clamp on"? and worst case, there aren't too many to collect.

sorry I am just bored at work :)
A good hard quick knock will see most limpets off, though again some rock types give them better grip. Though over time in certain areas limpets wear a hole into the rock making it harder to knock them off. It's thought that limpets always return to the same spot; (though my idea for homing limpet racing hasn't seemed to have caught on)
Copy_of_Anemones_holes.jpg
 
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Stevie777

Native
Jun 28, 2014
1,443
1
Strathclyde, Scotland
What if the Limpets are very closely situated and when you knock the first one off the others "clamp on"? and worst case, there aren't too many to collect.

sorry I am just bored at work :)
Usually where there is one limpet there will be many more, Trust me, after eating ten your jaw will need 2 days to relax so dont worry if you dont find enough to fill a bin bag.
 

Stevie777

Native
Jun 28, 2014
1,443
1
Strathclyde, Scotland
How long does it take for a limpet to relax? If you mess up the first bash how long do you have to wait till you can have another go [or just mash it to pieces!?] or as HH says if it's mates next to it hang on cause you've knocked his neighbour off

I dont know, never hung around long enough to find out. I'll hazard a guess and say once they get tired of holding on for dear life. could be an hour, could be until the tide comes in. They are a type of snail at the end of the day. They have eyes on stalks just like a snail, maybe they peek out after 10 mins just to make sure the coast..no pun intended, is clear.. havn't got a clue. :lol:
 
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Stevie777

Native
Jun 28, 2014
1,443
1
Strathclyde, Scotland
A good hard quick knock will see most limpets off, though again some rock types give them better grip. Though over time in certain areas limpets wear a hole into the rock making it harder to knock them off. It's thought that limpets always return to the same spot; (though my idea for homing limpet racing hasn't seemed to have caught on)
Copy_of_Anemones_holes.jpg

Dont know why,? I dont see much of a difference from Pigeon Racing to limpet racing.

Place limpet in a basket..Take limpet far away... Release Limpet... Go to the pub... Punch Tag upon return. I wonder what a Prize Racing limpet would fetch,
 

Goatboy

Full Member
Jan 31, 2005
14,956
17
Scotland
I dont know, never hung around long enough to find out. I hazard a guess and say once they get tired of holding on for dear life. could be a hour, could be until the tide comes in. They are a type of snail at the end of the day they have eyes on stalks just like a snail, maybe they peek out after 10 mins just to make sure the coast..no pun intended, is clear.. havn't got a clue. :lol:
Maybe you could train them like oysters...
"European settlers in what is now New York City found the greatest abundance of oysters they'd ever known - many a foot long. But how to keep them fresh for trading inland, in the days before railways?

An oyster will stay alive and fresh, out of the water, for some weeks provided it keeps its shell tight shut. But it makes its living opening and closing its shell to filter the nutrients out of the water, so shutting up is unnatural to it.

New York oyster dealers found that oysters could be trained. They would place their chosen oysters in the oyster beds, day by day, gradually closer to the shore - so that the animals were exposed to low tide for a little longer each day. The oysters learned that they had to take in a good load of water while the tide was retreating, and then keep clammed up throughout the time they were out of the water.

This way they got in the habit of sealing their shells for long periods. Of course, the very last time they did this, they would open up to discover that they weren't on the shore at all, but disappearing down a greedy persons gullet.

The French had a less fussy method of oyster-training. To keep the creatures fresh for the journey from le seaside to Paris, they would spread them out in the water and then tap them, one by one, every day, with an iron rod - the oysters, unsurprisingly, reacted to this by defensively sealing up. The result was the same - the bivalves got used to ever-longer closed up periods.

A 19th century American wit noted that a French oyster was trained “to keep its mouth shut when it enters society.” "
 

Goatboy

Full Member
Jan 31, 2005
14,956
17
Scotland
Only one flaw in you Limpet training program..Limpets dont have a bottom shell. They would dry out, wither and die.

My limpet training program involved slates for them to clamp onto, it meant you could also scratch their name onto the slate as they don't respond when their name is called.
 

Stevie777

Native
Jun 28, 2014
1,443
1
Strathclyde, Scotland
Seems like everyone is fixated of the chewiness of this particular muscular beasty. Yes they are natures Bazooka Joe and lets face it, they aint no succulent sirloin.

I prefer just to tear them apart with my teeth, chomp a few times then swallow. I eat them for nutrition. Also they are the easiest and cleanest of the molluscs you'll find around our shores.

I honestly can eat anything, I know people who wont put shellfish near their mouth, even Lobsters and prawns. Not because they dont like the taste, but because they dont like the texture. only thing i've ever had a problem with in my mouth as far as texture goes is Eggshell and cotton wool..
 
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Stevie777

Native
Jun 28, 2014
1,443
1
Strathclyde, Scotland
My limpet training program involved slates for them to clamp onto, it meant you could also scratch their name onto the slate as they don't respond when their name is called.
You need to know the "Special Whistle" goes something like this..Phwee whoo whit twit Whoo Hoo Phweee. that should get their attention.
 

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