In the Azores, limpets or lapas are pretty much sand-free because they are caught in the rocks where they are beaten by the sea. Women still sell them door-to-door, carrying them in basket. They are served as a first course or as a snack.

Limpets in Afonso Sauce aka Afonso’s Limpets

Ingredients (4 or 5 people):

• 4.4 lbs. of small limpets alive with moss
• 1 big onion
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 bunch of parsley
• 0.4 cups of olive oil
• 1 red sweet pepper or hot sauce
• Salt
• Pepper

Preparation:

1. Wash the limpets.

1. Slice the onion and garlic and fry it with olive oil (do not let it brown).

1. Add the red pepper and the chopped parsley and season with salt and pepper.

1. Add the limpets and let it cook quickly (if they bake too much, the limpets become like a rock). Stir the pot and don’t move the content with the spoon.
2. Check the seasoning, and remember that limpets already have salt.

S. Miguel Style:

When adding the limpets, add 0.2 cups of white wine with a teaspoon of flour dissolved.