What to pair with barnacles?
Guilherme Corrêa Dip WSET
For those who worship the sea and what it gives us to eat, there is nothing that compares to barnacles. If a dip to cleanse the soul in the cool, choppy sea of Portugal on a hot summer day were transformed into a flavor, it would be what this intriguing-looking crustacean offers. Tasting it in the most immaculate way possible, simply cooked in salt water, with a wine that is diaphanous to its aromas and flavors, is a poseidonic, multimodal experience. To choose the perfect bottle, however, we have to go to the seabed and the translucency of flavors and texture.
A DIVE IN THE SEA
Whenever I receive friends from my hometown in Lisbon, it is with great pleasure, and almost an obligation, that I impose on myself, to take them to eat fish and seafood in this paradise for lovers of oceanic flavors called Portugal. The taste and texture of the fish from the cold waters that bathe our coast is absurdly different, and the very transparent way of preparing it, mainly grilled over charcoal, catapults these pure flavors of seaweed, crustaceans, waves and iodine to a new sensory dimension.
However, I really love it and it amuses me a lot when I manage to give these friends a crustacean to taste that looks charming to some, and repulsive to others, normally associated with a “prehistoric animal”, or an “elephant’s foot”, or even a “black pig’s foot”: the spectacular barnacles.
I like to see them tear the peduncle below the animal's head or claw. And even with my advance warnings, I delight in the inevitable squirts that come out in all directions, like when we sit on a rock in the sea to feel its living force in the surf.
And finally, I am fascinated to observe carefully the reaction of my friends when they put the muscles that fill the peduncle in their mouths for the first time, as well as the comments that follow: “pure taste of the sea”, “of the cold and rough sea”, “flavor of the sea wave”, “diving with your mouth open into the wave”, “the essence of the sea”, “not even oysters are so pure in the expression of the sea”.
IBERIAN PRIVILEGE
With the official name of Pollicipes pollicipes, barnacles live on the western Atlantic coast from the 15° N parallel, above Dakar in Senegal, to slightly north of Belle Isle off the coast of Brittany in France, at the 48° N parallel. They are almost non-existent in the Mediterranean, with a few occurrences on the Moroccan coast.
However, it is on the Portuguese and Spanish coasts that these unique crustaceans proliferate, to the delight and also concern of Iberian gastronomes due to their increasing exploitation. As soon as the barnacle eggs hatch, the larvae are released in the form of nauplii, like many other crustaceans, and swim freely for approximately 1 month until they attach themselves to a rocky substrate, where they assume the typical sessile form that we know on the table. And the small nauplii prefer places with high hydrodynamics, with steeply sloping rocky surfaces, crevices or caves, as the waves provide ample oxygenation, which is necessary for those who live cemented to the rocks.
Where barnacles grow, and become delicious and irresistible, are precisely in places that pose great challenges to their gatherers, or barnacles, a fact that explains the high cost of these precious crustaceans. Lives are lost every year in this harvesting process on rocks lashed by the tides. A great risk that generations of gatherers incur to satisfy the palates of local and foreign epicureans in search of the purest essence of the sea. Barnacles must be paid for and valued highly.
A CRYSTAL CLEAR PREPARATION
Another fascinating aspect of barnacles is that no great chef in the world, at least that I know of, takes the trouble to try to improve what nature has already created, a true perfection.
Even oysters, which for me are already absolutely divine when they come out of the sea alive, surprised me in incredible preparations enjoyed on my research trips as a sommelier, in France and other countries, such as in a translucent gelatin of cucumber, seaweed and seawater served cold; or warm on a julienne of vegetables covered in “beurre blanc” flavored with orange zest and fresh truffles.
Our barnacles, however, appreciate the sensitivity and respect of those who prepare them with just one bath in salted water with the same proportion of sea salt, or better yet, in sea water itself. They are cooked for just two minutes after the water starts to boil, nothing more, nothing less. Out of respect for Neptune or Poseidon, avoid adding bay leaves, lemon or any other distraction from the essential marine flavors, to avoid the wrath of the gods.
CHARACTERISTICS FOR HARMONIZATION
Let's now move on to the technical analysis of the taste, smell and texture characteristics of barnacles to choose wines that honor this precious treasure of the seas and that value their worldwide rarity, as well as the sacrifice made in collecting them. A white wine chosen without any criteria can simply ruin what is one of the best gastronomic experiences in the world.
Firstly, from an aromatic point of view, these crustaceans give off a moderately intoxicating sea breeze, with aromas of waves crashing against rocks, seaweed, crustaceans and iodine. Wines with very exuberant fruit or spicy hints of wood are not welcome here. We must instead seek a more restrained, mineral and saline profile, “terroir-driven” wines that evoke limestone soils, which were once ocean floors, or perhaps extrusive volcanic soils that impact the wines with a more smoky, pumice-like seal, or intrusive granite soils with the freshness and saline tension that they bring to the wines. Wines that are more “savoury” like Arintos and Verdelhos (see tests) than aromatic and fruity, when we think of Portuguese grape varieties.
Although barnacles have a sweet tooth that is quite noticeable when chewing their muscles, their very low lipid content in their meat, around 1%, excludes the choice of very acidic, effervescent or very flavorful wines. These three pillars of “hardness” in wines need to find some comfort in food to cushion them, namely their sweet tooth and the presence of solid fat, neither of which barnacles can offer.
Another important characteristic to consider when pairing is the tactile sensation of the barnacles' juiciness. A prerogative of the best examples, when very fresh and cooked to the right point, is the presence of internal juices, which love to squirt onto diners, making the marine experience even more authentic. And there is also the juiciness induced in the mouth when we chew the barnacles. Sommeliers use two elements in wines to reduce the juiciness of dishes: alcohol or tannins. Our choice will fall on the alcohol in the wine, in this case. Wines with moderate acidity at 12.5º alcohol, or wines that are slightly more acidic at 13.5º, reduce the juiciness of the barnacles well. Remember that acidity acts in the opposite direction to alcohol, promoting salivation and more juiciness in the mouth.
Finally, we must pay close attention to the significant presence of iodine and a medium level of umami in barnacles.Although we do not have as much iodine as in oysters, cod or sardines, all of which have over 100 μg of iodine in 100 g of meat, barnacles with their approximately 60 μg already make it impossible to choose reds, a good part of the more structured rosés and even whites with ellagic tannins from wood or tanning. Tannins and iodine are a storm at sea, and the result is usually a shipwreck with a metallic aftertaste. The protein composition of approximately 20% in barnacle meat guarantees a rich presence of the “fifth umami flavor” through the amino acids glutamate and inosinate present. And even with rapid cooking, these amino acids are released with the breakdown of proteins. Umami in food highlights all the elements of hardness in wine - tannins, acids and mineral salts - and restricts its fruity smoothness.
We have all the elements to set off, so let's set off for the tests?
TESTS
I chose 8 white wines, more mineral, pure and restrained than fruit-driven, without wood or with “invisible wood”, to test with the spectacular barnacles selected by the demanding Sérgio Rodrigues from the Sem Dúvida restaurant in Lisbon. Gigantic, succulent and intense in their marine expression, cooked to perfection, I was able to calmly enjoy them one by one, in front of several wines, and choose those that enhanced and carried their flavors until a long finish, without leaving behind the salt of the sea, the alcohol or the harsh elements of the wines aspiring to the perfect union.
VOLCANIC WINES FROM EXTRUSIVE ROCKS
1. FERNÃO PIRES AND VERDELHO, 2018, FROM THE AZORES
This beautiful white wine from the island of São Miguel had impressed me with its purity and volcanic character in a previous tasting, but with the barnacles the Fernão Pires fruit jumped out and did not accompany the aromas of the sea until the end. The iodine still created a metallic impression in the aftertaste, and the umami highlighted the “stony” texture of volcanic wines that are extrusive in the mouth. Moderately harmonic.
2. VERDELHO WITH A TOUCH OF SERCIAL, 2017, FROM MADEIRA
A great Madeiran white with a hint of oak, which when confronted with the iodine of the crustacean, stopped being invisible and gave a slight metallic finish. But the smoky mineral profile of the wine was truly incredible with the oceanic aromas, the image of the sea lashing the black volcanic rocks was precise and intense with each sip. Harmonica.
3. ARINTO, 2017, FROM THE AZORES
Another of my favourite island wines, but one that had its harsh side, especially its volcanic flavor, thrown out of balance. The more “savoury” profile of the Azorean Arinto from Pico was much better than the Fernão Pires from São Miguel that I had tasted before, but the texture of the wine was equally “stony”, and the finish was even a little bitter due to the presence of iodine and the emphasis on the harsh elements of umami. Moderately harmonic.
GRANITE WINES
4. LOUREIRO, 2017, FROM MINHO
I chose this Loureiro because it is very “cold” in its fruit, quite mineral and restrained, born with wild yeasts, which generate a more “savoury” profile than fruit esters. Even so, it seemed to me that there was a bit of fruit left over in the pairing. But curiously, unlike wines made from extrusive rock, this Loureiro remained intact in its texture and carried the barnacle flavors well until the end. Perhaps the low alcohol content of 11.5º did not dry out the juiciness in the mouth, and its high acidity still contributed to more salivation and juiciness, but the end result was satisfactory. Moderately harmonic.
5.ALVARINHO IN THE AMPHORA, FROM MINHO
My intention was to produce an extremely pure and precise Albariño, without excessive fruit or floral notes, and a little more “savoury” like this impressive example fermented in amphorae. In Galicia, it is very common to drink Albariños from Rías Baixas with their barnacles. The harmony was sharp, the wine fit in with the marine flavours, without losing its precious purity. The 13.5° alcohol content dried out the juiciness well, and the fine granite texture remained intact until the end. Harmonica.
LIMESTONE WINES
6. ARINTO and Vital, FROM LISBON
A magnificent Arinto from Lisbon, pure limestone on the nose and in the mouth, which fostered a great harmony with the barnacles, although it was a little above the aromatic level in relation to the crustacean. It dried out the juiciness well with 12.5% alcohol, and maintained its fine and tense limestone texture until the end. Harmonica.
7. CHABLIS 1er CRU, FROM FRANCE
Another harmonious and delicious proposal. Perhaps a Chablis from the Villages category, below the 1er Cru, would have been sufficient in terms of aromas and structure. As this producer never uses wood in his cellar, the wine's limestone minerality was enhanced, without any metallization. The pure texture of the ancient seabed spoke to the fresh sea of barnacles in a timeless dialogue. Harmonica.
8. GRAUER BURGUNDER BIODYNAMIC, 2017, FROM GERMANY
The best pairing with the barnacles was by pure chance. Just as an unexpected storm takes a boat to a paradise island in soap operas. My original idea was to take a Riesling from the limestone soils of Rheinhessen to the tasting, but I inadvertently picked up a bottle of Grauer Burgunder - or Pinot Grigio, or even Pinot Gris - from the same producer. With more timid fruit than the Riesling, it clearly showed its limestone origins on the nose. Less acidic and mineral than the planned Riesling, it perfectly cushioned the saline and iodized assault of the barnacles, and its 12.5% alcohol content dried out the natural and induced juiciness of the crustacean just right. The dialogue between the two lasted throughout the long marine and iodized finish, without any sign of metallicity or resurgence of the wine's harsh elements. Every day there will be a surprise to move us in the sea, in wine and in life. Harmonica.