Lapas Grelhadas (Azorean Grilled Limpets)

My mother’s mother grew up on Sao Miguel, in the Azores, in a house close enough to the water that lapas, limpets, were simply something you gathered off the rocks at low tide rather than something you bought.

She used to tell me about scraping them loose with a dull knife as a girl, and I did not understand the appeal until I actually tasted them done right: a quick sear in their own shells, a pool of garlic butter, and nothing else needed.

Lapas grelhadas is about as honest as Azorean food gets. The limpets get a fast blast of heat, just long enough to firm up and turn opaque, then get doused in sizzling garlic butter with a squeeze of lemon and a scatter of cilantro.

They are chewy in the pleasant, briny way that good clams or mussels are chewy, not in the rubbery way you get from overcooking. On Sao Miguel you would eat these standing at a beachside grill shack with a cold Coral beer in hand. In my kitchen we do the stovetop version, but the spirit is the same.

Fresh limpets are not something you will find at your average American grocery store, so I have adapted this for what you can actually get here, and I will walk you through the swap in the notes below.

My daughter Sofia, who mostly cares about desserts, took one taste of the garlic butter and declared it should go on everything, which tells you the sauce alone is worth the trip to the fish counter. If you have made my Amejoas a Bulhao Pato (recipe on the site), the flavors here will feel like familiar cousins.

Lapas Grelhadas (Azorean Grilled Limpets) Recipe

Prep time: 15 minutes · Cook time: 8 minutes · Total: 23 minutes · Servings: 4 · Calories: ~180 per serving

Ingredients

• 2 lbs fresh limpets in the shell, or substitute (see notes) cleaned littleneck clams or cockles
• 6 tablespoons butter
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/4 cup dry white wine
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, plus lemon wedges for serving
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro or parsley
• Coarse salt and black pepper, to taste
• Crusty bread, for serving

Instructions

1. If using fresh limpets, scrub the shells well. If substituting clams or cockles, soak in cold salted water for 20 minutes to purge any sand, then drain.
2. Heat a large heavy skillet or griddle over high heat with the olive oil.
3. Place the shellfish flat-side down (or in a single layer if using clams) directly on the hot surface. Cook 2 to 3 minutes until they firm up and begin to open or release from the shell.
4. Meanwhile, melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook 30 seconds until fragrant but not browned. Add the wine and simmer 1 minute.
5. Pour the hot garlic butter directly over the shellfish in the pan. Add the lemon juice, season with salt and pepper, and toss gently for 1 to 2 minutes until everything is coated and heated through.
6. Scatter with cilantro or parsley and serve immediately, straight from the pan, with lemon wedges and crusty bread for mopping up the butter.

Recipe Notes

• Sourcing tip: true limpets are almost impossible to find in the US outside of specialty Azorean markets in New England. Littleneck clams, cockles, or even sliced sea scallops seared hard are all good substitutes that pick up the garlic butter beautifully.
• Do not overcook the shellfish. Limpets and their substitutes turn tough and rubbery past the 2 to 3 minute mark, so watch closely.
• A splash of Portuguese vinho verde in place of the white wine adds a nice bright edge if you have a bottle open.
• This same garlic butter treatment works wonderfully on grilled octopus or shrimp if you cannot track down shellfish in the shell at all.