Champ01

Thanks for the info lads. Sounds like MickSA has had success with keeping them in replenished sea water for several days followed by a thorough rinse. Also makes sense that in cold water/freezer they close up and don't purge. This all suggests to me that the key probably is - keeping them alive and in good condition for as long as you can such that the cockles actively purge themselves. They are very active if left undisturbed in sea water - they go nuts actually with a lot of movement of the fleshy part outside the shell. Occasionally you can see them purge small amounts of sand too.I will ke

Hey there guys. I am sure there is someone out there who knows how to completely de-sand goolwa cockles for use in dishes such as marinaras/pasta dishes/soups etc. Have no problems in getting our bag limit of cockles and they always go to good use in the bait freezer. However, we'd like to put them to good use in the kitchen as well! Have tried numerous things recommended in cook books/online but there always seems to be a very slight amount of sand/grit inside the cockle - rendering them inedible. Have tried keeping them alive in saltwater for 24-48 hours, fresh water for the same period and

I can't count the number of times I have driven down Goolwa beach to see people doing the wrong thing.Worst thing I have ever seen down there was a family of around 15 piled into two 4x4, had several huge buckets of cockles that were I shit you not, no wider than 1cm across.Not many legal ones around that day and after pulling up IMMEDIATELY beside us they started chucking heaps of cockles in their bucket. Pretty obvious at that point that they were not checking sizes.I pulled them up on it and tried to explain the rules. After they played the language barrier game I ended up calling fisheries