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Whelks in lemon-white wine broth is best served with salad and some crusty bread.Kevin Van Paassen/The Globe and Mail

A whelk needs to be alive when you cook it. To check, rap on its shell sharply. If it recoils slightly, it's alive. If not, toss it and choose another. Serve this dish with a little salad and some crusty bread to mop up the delicious broth.

Servings: 2

Ingredients

3 fresh whelks, alive and in their shells

Salted water

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 shallots, finely minced

1/2 lemon, juiced

1/2 cup dry white wine

Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

1 tbsp chopped fresh parsley

Method

Place whelks in a saucepan and add cold water until just covered. Salt generously. Bring to a gentle simmer over medium-low heat and poach until just cooked; about 8 minutes. Drain and set aside until cool enough to handle.

Use a small fork to pull whelks from their shells. Set meat aside and scrub shells, as needed, until free of sand and dirt. Reserve. Clean meat by removing dark greenish-grey bits with a sharp knife, and discarding. Cut meat into slices.

Heat olive oil in a saucepan over medium. Add shallots and sautée until softened; it should take a few minutes. Add sliced whelk meat, lemon juice and white wine and simmer just until incorporated. Season with salt and pepper.

Arrange whelk shells in a shallow bowl and spoon cooked whelks and broth overtop. Garnish with parsley.

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