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Popcorn Cockles
Steam 3 dozen very fresh cockles in their shells just until they open. Remove the cockles from their shells and coat them well in finely ground cornmeal. Heat 1 inch of oil in a skillet until it spits when you flick a drop of water at it. In batches that just cover the bottom of the pan, fry the cockles, covered to minimize spatter, for several minutes, till their crusts are golden. Remove and arrange 9 cockles on each plate alongside 5 spears of asparagus. On the other side of the cockles place a generous scoop of mango salsa.
Serve with Cold Steamed Asparagus with Mayonnaise Sauce, and Mango Salsa.
Chapter Nine
Abigail deliberated aloud a moment. Trout meuniere was such a classic, dependable dish, and you hardly ever saw it any more, not that she went out to many restaurants anyway, but that cockle salad sounded so intriguing...it came with asparagus, her favorite, and a mango salsa, which she wasn't familiar with, but she loved mango.
"Do the cockles come in their shells?" she asked the waiter. "Cockles are those little clam-like things, aren't they?"
"They're taken from their shells, rolled in buttermilk, dredged in corn meal, then lightly fried," said the waiter. "It's one of our most popular dishes."
"Oh," said Abigail with lust; there was something about the word "dredged."
"Have both," said Ralph.
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