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| Grilled Limpets! |
It's a beautiful Sunday here in Terceira. This is our sixteenth day here and for the most part we've had nice weather. Sometimes it was a little cool, sometimes windy and sometimes rainy but nothing major. However over the last 2-3 days the weather has really been on the upswing. Today was nothing but blue skies, light winds and highs near 70. A perfect day for a Limpet Quest!
Limpets are fancy name for sea snails. I'm not much of a Limpetologist but I have learned they can only be found in a few areas around the world and the Azores happen to be a prime spot. They can be found on the menu at any number of restaurants, especially those specializing in seafood. We figured that if we were going to try them we'd go to a place that would most likely serve some of the freshest so we took off on foot. Our destination was Breia Mar Restaurant in Sao Mateus, about a two and a half mile walk from the hotel. We had enjoyed this waterfront restaurant the first Sunday we were on the island. We saw Limpets on the menu then but were still getting adjusted so we opted for more standard items.
When we arrived the place was packed. We enjoyed sitting along the harbor watching the fishing boats bringing in their daily haul of fish, crabs and maybe even some limpets until our table was ready.
We got the small order of grilled limpets as an appetizer to share. They arrived hot, having been grilled with plenty of butter and garlic and looking somewhat like mussels. The verdict..............two thumbs up! They were similar to a mussel or clam and every bit as good. If you find yourself in a restaurant with limpets on the menu give them a try. As for the even stranger menu item............barnacles. Well you're on your own for that one!
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| Two thumbs up....the person with the other thumb was taking the picture |
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| It can't get much fresher than just off the boat, Breia Mar is on the far right of the picture |
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| Along the seaside walk in Sao Mateus |
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| She was one of about 10 people tying trotlines along the sea wall |
