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Peppered snail
Ìgbín: giant land snails boiled tender and tossed in a fiery pepper sauce, a southwest party favourite
Peppered snail is a Yoruba delicacy, served on cocktail sticks at Lagos and Ibadan parties and in restaurants as a pricy small chop. The big African land snail has firm, meaty flesh like a cross between mushroom and clam; it is cleaned of its slime, boiled with seasoning, then fried briefly in a hot sauce of scotch bonnet and red pepper. Only use farmed snails that are sold cleaned and shelled, from a reputable African grocer or fishmonger; never collect wild snails, which can carry parasites. Cook them through, and wash your hands, boards and knives well after handling them raw. Chef's tip: do not skip the rubbing with lime and salt; leftover slime is the common mistake, and it makes the sauce cloudy and the snails slippery.
- Total time
- 60 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
For the snails
- 1 ¾ lb giant land snailsfarmed, cleaned and shelled (fresh or frozen)
- 2 limesjuiced
- 2 tbsp saltcoarse, for cleaning
- 2 onions1 chopped for boiling, 1 sliced for the sauce
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- 2 ½ cups water
For the pepper sauce
- 1 tomato
- 5 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 tsp curry powder
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What you'll need
Spices & pantry
Fresh ingredients (4)
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Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Thaw 1 ¾ lb giant land snails in the fridge if frozen. In a bowl, rub them hard with 2 limes and 2 tbsp salt for 2–3 minutes until the slime lifts, then rinse under cold running water. Repeat once or twice until they no longer feel slippery.
10 minStep 2: Put the snails in a pot with 1 onions (the chopped one), 2 stock cubes, 1 tsp dried thyme and 2 ½ cups water. Bring to the boil, skim, and boil steadily until the snails are cooked through and tender-firm when pierced with a knife.
25 minStep 3: Drain, keeping a little stock, and pat the snails dry. Cut very large ones in half.
Step 4: Blend 4 scotch bonnet chillies, 2 red bell peppers and 1 tomato to a coarse paste, then simmer it in a dry pan until thick and reduced by half.
10 minStep 5: Heat 5 tbsp vegetable oil in a wide pan over a medium heat and fry the sliced 1 onions until soft. Add the pepper paste and 1 tsp curry powder and fry until the oil rises to the top and the sauce smells sweet rather than raw.
6 minStep 6: Add the snails with 2–3 tablespoons of their stock and toss over the heat until they are piping hot and glossy with sauce. Serve on cocktail sticks or with fried plantain.
4 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 280 kcal
- Protein
- 30 g
- Carbs
- 12 g
- Fat
- 13 g
- Fibre
- 2 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does peppered snail take?
- About 60 minutes in total: 20 minutes to prepare and 40 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- Is it very spicy?
- It has some heat. Use less chilli for a milder version, or more if you like it hot.
- What can I use instead of limes?
- Lemon, same amount.
- What can I use instead of onions?
- 2 shallots per onion.
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