Galicia · Spain
Percebes
Percebes are goose barnacles harvested from wave-battered rocks along Galicia's Costa da Morte, one of Spain's most prized and dangerous delicacies. The percebeiros who pry them from the tide risk their lives, which drives prices past 200 euros per kilo at peak.
Approximate, per 1 portion (~150g boiled barnacles). Values vary by recipe and portion.
Where it comes from
Percebes are goose barnacles harvested from wave-battered rocks along Galicia's Costa da Morte, one of Spain's most prized and dangerous delicacies. The percebeiros who pry them from the tide risk their lives, which drives prices past 200 euros per kilo at peak. They are prepared with utmost simplicity: boiled briefly in seawater or salted water and eaten with the hands.
Where to eat Percebes
0 restaurants worldwide serve it.
The variants
Hervidos
Boiled in seawater with a bay leaf, the canonical Galician preparation.
Al vapor
Lightly steamed to keep the briny liquor inside the stalk.
De Corme / Roncudo
Prized appellations from specific Costa da Morte reefs, thicker and meatier.
Marroquíes
Cheaper Moroccan-sourced barnacles, thinner and less flavorful than Galician.
Cook it yourself
- Percebes
Percebes, the goose barnacles prised from Galicia's storm-lashed rocks, are among Spain's most coveted seafood, tasting of pure concentrated ocean. They need almost nothing done to them; a brief plunge into fiercely boiling seawater is all that stands between the rock and the plate.