Specialty 'devil's finger' costs nearly 4 million VND/kg, hard to buy
It looks unattractive, likened to "devil's finger" or "death finger", but this is a "heavenly gift" from the sea, a valuable specialty, sometimes you want to buy it but can't find it.
This seafood is known by many names such as goose barnacles, percebes or gooseneck snails. This is one of the rarest and most delicious seafood in the world.
The barnacle is a strange-looking crustacean with a long body and a hard shell that fits together, but the meat inside is long, curved, and soft.
They live under the sea, have tentacles to cling to hard surfaces on the coast such as rocks, tree trunks, boats, etc. Although not large in size, they have the ability to drill hard objects, even large rocks.
With thick bodies, goose barnacles live on rocks on the shore between high and low tides. They also feed on the ebb and flow of the tide.
Goose barnacles are found in abundance in the coastal areas of Spain, Portugal and Canada. But the best ones are found mainly in the westernmost part of Portugal.
This type of snail only lives in places with very clean water sources. The water quality requirements of goose barnacles are quite high. If the seawater is seriously polluted, they will not be able to survive, and will even die very quickly. Therefore, they can be considered as an indicator of the level of pollution in the seawater.
The reason they are called goose barnacles or gooseneck snails is because the head of this snail really looks like a goose's head with a long neck, round head and pointed beak.
Some goose barnacles are longer and look like human fingers and fingernails. That’s why in Portugal they call this seafood “Lucifer’s fingers”. Anyone who sees them for the first time will feel a little scared by their ugly appearance.
Goose snails only live in the wild in the ocean and cannot be farmed. This type of snail is sold at an expensive price partly due to its rarity and the difficult and dangerous exploitation process.
Notably, goose barnacles also have another nickname, the seafood from hell, because they often live on coastal rocks, where large waves often crash. To catch goose barnacles, fishermen have to take a boat out to sea and dive to find them because they cling tightly to the rocks.
Fishermen must climb down a cliff about 100m high with a strong rope and specialized tools to chisel the rock surface where the tide is low. Skilled fishermen will know how to time their fishing according to the wave rhythm. Those who harvest goose barnacles need experience and skillful handling, avoiding tearing them directly when separating them from the rock.
In particular, catching goose barnacles requires working in groups to ensure safety. They form teams, coordinate well, calculate the time to ensure safety and know when to stop. Goose barnacles are difficult to preserve. Therefore, fishermen usually only go fishing when there is an order.
Because catching gooseneck snails is relatively hard and dangerous, hunting this type of seafood is very strictly managed.
In Galicia, Spain, the government only allows licensed divers to hunt "devil's fingers" 6kg per day. If they violate the law, their license will be revoked immediately and hunting will be banned.
Similarly, in Portugal, gooseneck snail hunting is also strictly regulated. Only 80 gooseneck snail diving permits are issued each year, which require each diver to collect only 15kg of gooseneck snails per day.
Although it looks scary, this is the most delicious seafood in the world. It is very easy to eat goose barnacles because when boiled, the body will be softer. Just use both hands to gently press the joint between the body and the head of the goose barnacles to easily remove the shell. The edible part is the white meat inside.
Europeans love this food and consider it a high-class seafood because of its high nutritional value. Goose oysters contain many trace elements, have a sweet, delicious taste that is hard to resist. Many diners who have enjoyed it describe goose oysters as more delicious than lobster or king crab.
Goose barnacles are listed as delicious dishes in many luxury restaurants around the world. In restaurants in Europe, each plate of goose barnacles costs about 100 Euros (about more than 2.5 million VND).
In the market, this type of seafood costs about 150 Euro/kg (equivalent to more than 3.8 million VND/kg). Although it is expensive, there are still people who want to buy it but cannot buy it because it is quite rare.
