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Food & Receipts

The Secret to Perfectly Cooked Snails: A Single Ingredient Makes All the Difference

13 November, 2024

The art of cooking delicious boiled snails goes beyond simply boiling them. It involves a combination of skills, from choosing the right snails to cleaning them, selecting the perfect spices, and mastering the boiling technique, as outlined below.

How to Choose the Best Snails

When buying snails, a simple way to determine if they are fatty and tasty is to gently press on the snail’s shell opening. If the snail’s operculum (the trapdoor-like structure) is right up against the shell opening, it indicates a fatty snail. If the operculum is recessed, the snail is likely lean.

If the operculum is recessed and there’s an unusual smell, it’s an indication of a dead, rotten snail, and it should be discarded.

A folk belief suggests that it is best to consume snails during the first or last quarter of the lunar month. During these periods, snails tend to be meatier and free of baby snails.

The best types of snails for boiling are stone snails, vortex snails, and pith helmets.

Tips for Cleaning Snails

Snails tend to be slimy and full of mud and dirt. Therefore, it’s essential to clean them thoroughly after purchasing to remove any impurities, ensuring a more delicious dish.

Here are some effective tips for quick and efficient snail cleaning:

Using Rice Washing Water: One of the best ways to remove the slime and mud from snails is by using rice washing water. Soak the snails in a basin filled with this water for about 1-2 hours. The mud in the snail’s shell will be released, and a simple rinse with water will leave you with clean snails ready for cooking.
Alternatively, you can soak the snails in a mixture of vinegar, lemon, and chili pepper. All these methods help to ensure cleaner snails with less sand and dirt in their meat.

How to Boil Snails to Perfection

After cleaning the snails, it is recommended to line the bottom of the pot with slightly crushed ginger, lemongrass, or lemon leaves. Then, place the snails on top, add a little fermented rice, a small amount of water, and boil them. The aroma of these spices will eliminate any fishy smell and leave the snails with a pleasant fragrance after boiling.

Note: Avoid adding too much water to the pot, as it can dilute the natural sweetness of the snails.

Additionally, boil the snails for only 2-3 minutes, just until their operculum comes off. Overcooking can cause the snail’s gut to retract and break, making it difficult to extract. It’s also important not to open the lid or stir the snails before the water boils vigorously.

The Perfect Dipping Sauce for Boiled Snails

Ginger Fish Sauce: Making this sauce is simple. First, pound the ginger, discard the juice, and mix it with freshly chopped chili peppers and garlic. Then, add a little sugar and fish sauce to taste, stirring until the mixture thickens. Finally, squeeze a bit of lemon juice into the bowl, sprinkle with finely chopped lemon leaves, and your dipping sauce is ready.
Tamarind Fish Sauce: Sauté chopped shallots and garlic, then add tamarind juice, fish sauce, white sugar, and water to a pan. Cook over medium heat, stirring continuously, until the mixture thickens, which should take about a minute. Then, turn off the heat and pour the sauce into a bowl, adding chopped chili peppers to taste.