Tec-tecs of the bay, Tamarin’s well guarded culinary secret

Tec-tecs of the bay, Tamarin’s well guarded culinary secret

It is a gourmet pleasure that Mauritians are particularly fond of, especially when visiting Tamarin, where nature decided to lodge those delicious, easy to gather shells on the shores of the splendid bay.

After your reinvigorating swim, put on, a cap and examine the sand. Maybe you have already come across Mauritians, toes steeped into the sand, frantically digging to obtain a closed shell? Tec-tecs live a few centimetres from the surface, where water laps at the sand. Wait for a wave to wet the sand, point your foot downwards and poke the sand. Do two tiny holes appear? Bingo, you found your first tec-tec! Delicately dig into the sand and collect it before it is taken by a wave or tries to dig deeper into the sand. Tec-tecs being very small creatures, you need to think big: half an hour should be enough to bring back the biggest ones (mercilessly reject the smaller ones). Back home, leave them to soak 1 to 2 hours in clear salty water and stir regularly. This operation will allow the tec-tecs to expel all the sand from their shells. Rinse the shells one last time then heat some butter in a pan. Throw in the tec-tecs and as soon as the shells open, stir and add garlic. All shells must be open. Tec-tecs are enjoyed au naturel as aperitif (which requires skinning), in soups or with my personal favourite, pasta. A 100% local iodised and tasty pleasure!

Crédit photo : Pinterest