Recently I (Graham) went fishing with Francisco(our english speaking friend who owns a local cafe), I caught nothing, he caught 2 small fish. Although we didn't have much luck he taught me how to locate and harvest Goose Barnacles (Percebes), which a are a rare delicacy and only found along the west coast of Portugal and in NW'ern Spain. You can find them at the seafood market for $100-$150 per pound or pull your own. Since $150 for less than a pound of protein once you've remove the shells is a tad out of our pauper budget, Liz and I returned the next day at low tide to try our novice hand at pulling Percebes.
After reaserching online about Percebes we learned the best and biggest barnacles are said to be located in the most secluded and hardest to reach places. Liz and I walked down the craggy rocks to the surging sea and after looking for a few minutes we located a few decent size groups of Percebes. With the new Putty knife I bought for the purpose of prying these barnacles off the rocks, I was able to pull and pry some large Percebes from the rocks. We spent about an hour searching and pulling and filled a quart size plastic bag with our first harvest of Percebes.
Afterwards we returned home and were rewared for our efforts when we tried the tasty morsels after we boiled them with bay leaves, onions, and piri-piri peppers. They were teriffic tasting - similar to that of lobster or crab! Attached are a few pictures from our meal that night.
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