Welsh Laverbread and Cockles
Calories: 277.6|Fat: 21.1|Carbohydrates: 11|Protein: 12.8
| 20 minutes
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Bring the coast to your kitchen with this quick and delicious breakfast Welsh Laverbread and Cockles with bacon. Perfect on thick toast or as a light snack.
This Welsh breakfast feels like a trip to the seaside. There’s nothing like the smell of cockles and laverbread sizzling in a pan to bring the essence of the Welsh coast directly to you, wherever you are.
For those unfamiliar, laverbread is a type of seaweed collected along the coastline and is a quintessentially Welsh ingredient. Laverbread is often served rolled with fine Welsh oatmeal into little cakes and fried into crisp patties with eggs, bacon, and cockles for a traditional Welsh breakfast.
For The Perfect Welsh Cockles and Laverbread
- How to cook cockles: Rinse them thoroughly under cold water to remove any sand or debris. Heat a large pot over medium-high heat. Add a knob of butter, minced garlic, and chopped parsley. Add the cockles and cover with a lid. Steam for 3-5 minutes until the cockles open. Serve immediately.
What You Need
- Onion – a finely chopped onion for frying
- Oil – used for frying
- Bacon – Use bacon or other alternatives:
- Spinach and Tomatoes: Add fresh spinach leaves and halved cherry tomatoes.
- Garlic and Herbs: Add minced garlic and fresh parsley.
- Mushrooms and Thyme: Add sliced mushrooms and fresh thyme.
- Cockles – Use pre-cooked cockles by checking the tips section or the Recipe Note 1.
- Laverbread –
- Kale/spinach – Use finely chopped, cooked kale or spinach as alternatives to laverbread.
- Samphire – Samphire is also commonly found along the Welsh coastline and has a slightly salty and crunchy texture.
- Other Welsh alternatives – These include sea lettuce, sea spinach, sea beet and dulse.
- Other options – Try to cook this dish with nori sheets and wakame.
- Lemon – You need the lemon juice of 1 lemon.
- Black pepper to taste.
Save the Cockles and Laverbread For Later
- Leftovers: Transfer any leftovers into an airtight container to be used within 2 – 3 days. When ready to eat, reheat thoroughly in a microwave or on the stove until piping hot.
How to Serve Laverbread and Cockles
- Make a salad with lettuce, cucumber and tomatoes. Toss the salad with the laverbread so it’s combined, almost like a dressing.
- Flake some smoked salmon or haddock and sprinkle it along with the cockles over the dressed salad.
- Grate some cheese over the salad.
- Sprinkle breadcrumbs over the top for added texture and flavour.
- Serve with crusty bread or new potatoes.
Health Info
- Calories: 277.6
- Sugar: 3.9
- Sodium: 806.6
- Fat: 21.1
- Carbohydrates: 11
- Fiber: 1.3
- Protein: 12.8
Welsh Breakfast Laverbread Recipe
Servings 2 people
Calories 277.6kcal
Description
Bring the coast to your kitchen with this quick and delicious breakfast Welsh Laverbread and Cockles with bacon. Perfect on thick toast or as a light snack.
Ingredients
- 1 large onion finely chopped
- 1 tbsp oil for frying
- 4 rashers of bacon chopped
- 100 g cooked cockles
- 120 g laverbread
- 1 lemon juice only
- black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Finely chop the onion and bacon. Ensure the cockles are cooked and ready to use.
- Heat the oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Add the chopped onions and cook until they are softened and translucent, about 5-7 minutes.
- Add the chopped bacon to the pan with the onions. Cook until the bacon is crisp, stirring occasionally.
- Stir in the cooked cockles and laverbread, mixing well to combine all the ingredients.
- Season with freshly ground black pepper and add the lemon juice. Stir well to incorporate the flavors.
- Serve the laverbread and cockles warm as a side dish or on its own. Enjoy!
Recipe Notes:
- Precooking Cockles: To cook cockles, rinse well under cold water to remove sand. In a pot over medium-high heat, melt butter and sauté garlic and parsley. Add cockles, cover, and steam for 3-5 minutes until they open. Serve promptly.
- Storing: Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container; reheat thoroughly before consuming.
- Serving: Serve laverbread and cockles atop a salad of lettuce, cucumber, and tomatoes, mixed with laverbread. Add flaked smoked salmon or haddock, grated cheese, breadcrumbs, and serve with crusty bread or new potatoes.
- Onion: Finely chopped for frying in oil.
- Bacon: Use bacon or alternative options:
- Spinach and Tomatoes: Add fresh spinach leaves and halved cherry tomatoes.
- Garlic and Herbs: Include minced garlic and fresh parsley.
- Mushrooms and Thyme: Use sliced mushrooms and fresh thyme.
- Cockles: Use pre-cooked cockles (refer to tips or recipe notes).
- Laverbread: Traditional Welsh seaweed paste.
- Kale/Spinach: Finely chopped and cooked as alternatives to laverbread.
- Samphire: Known for its salty, crunchy texture from Welsh coastlines.
- Other Welsh Alternatives: Include sea lettuce, sea spinach, sea beet, and dulse.
- Other Options: Experiment with nori sheets and wakame.
- Lemon: Juice of 1 lemon.
- Black Pepper: To taste
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