Kelp, snails and shellfish?

[Moonraker]

On a more culinary note.

on the Breton island of Ouessant (Ushant, for the Pommies), there is since twenty years or so a commercial seaweed farm:

look at http://www.ouessant.com/edible-seaweeds.htm

Great info folk

The link is not working right Ketchup. It's fixed here;

Aquacole d'Ouessant - Edible Seaweeds

One of the key considerations in collecting shellfish and seaweeds is the quality of the water they are collected from. A good place to check is here;

Marine Conservation Society - The Good Beach Guide

Each entry gives an up to date indication of water quality and details of any sewage outlets etc. It's always worth asking locally.

 

[rich59]

I have been looking round for good info on safety of collecting shellfish. The following web page puts if simply and authoritively I think:-

http://www.shellfish.org.uk/frequently_asked_questions.htm

By the way I would perhaps not be worried too much by a sewage treatment plant nearby since the outflows from these have to be be clean enough to drink I understand. It is the outflows of untreated sewage that put up the E.coli count.

Anyway - I am getting the point that shellfish collecting is probably risky and I think I will steer clear of if myself.

 

[sam_acw]

It is probably safer to collect shellfish than to eat factory farm chicken.

 

[spamel]

With regards seaweed, Lofty reckons if it is free floating you should leave it be. If it is attatched to a stone, it is good eating. Pick the fresh stuff obviously, and all of the seaweeds found in UK waters are supposed to be edible. Saying that, he also goes on to say that even though there are no poisonous seaweeds, some are violent purgatives (!) and others contain acids which may irritate the digestive tract. Crush the seaweed between your fingers, if it gives off an unpleasant smell after five minutes bin it.

With regards sea snails, I used to pick periwinkles as a kid and we would boil them up with cockles and mussels, never tried limpets though which is a bit wierd, I'll try them when I get back to UK. If the little trap door on the bottom of the snail shuts when you touch it, it's OK to eat him. If it stays open when you touch it, then the snail is dead or on its way out, discard it. Boil them for about ten minutes, and pick them out of the shells with a needle or a big thorn.

 

[Ketchup]

I agree Spamel, Winkles (Littorina litorea) are of the best seafoods in the world(boil for a few minutes in a well spiced broth). They are dead easy to catch also.