Shellfish gathering is another of the most deeply-rooted professions in Vilanova de Arousa, centred on cockles. If you pass by one of our town’s small beaches, you will see numerous shellfish gatherers on foot extracting cockles with their raños -a type of convex-shaped rake that are thrust into the sand to collect these bivalves.

As in the case of mussels, cockles are also tremendously versatile in the kitchen. They can be used to prepare numerous dishes, to which they add their unique sea flavour. One of the traditional recipes that you must try is empanada de berberechos (cockle pie made with cornmeal dough).

Cockles are also a nutrient-dense food suitable for a balanced diet. They stand out due to their low fat content -while being low in calores- in addition to being rich in proteins, vitamins -such as A or B3- and minerals -such as iron, potassium, sodium, iodine or zinc.