Sea Snails in Coconut Milk (Ốc Len Xào Dừa)
The best way to explore a culture is through its food, and my favorite thing to do when visiting Vietnam is eating my way through the many street food carts that crowd the warm city streets of Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Not only is the food delicious, exotic, and cheap, but trying to sit on a tiny flimsy plastic stool is all part of the experience of eating like a local and so much fun.
One of my favorite street food is snails or ôc. When going out to eat for ôc in Vietnam, it doesn’t mean just snails, but rather all shellfish such as crab, oysters, shrimp, and of course, sea snails.
One of my favorite sea snails is mud creepers sauteed in a thick, savory, and aromatic coconut sauce (ôc len xào dừa). This very popular dish is packed full of flavors with fresh lemongrass, garlic, Vietnamese Coriander (Rau Ram), and chili peppers.
The best and fun part of this dish is extracting the snail from the shell. Loosen up those cheek muscles because this dish requires a lot of sucking and slurping. Although it’s not the best option for a first date, it’s a fun dining option with a friendly crowd and lots of beer.
If you ever get stuck with the sucking, turn the snail over and suck the tail end. This should loosen it up. Then turn it back and suck the front end as normally. If you’re successful, the snail meat should shoot out like a jet rocket. Choking is a possibility, but like my life’s motto, if there’s no risk of dying, then it’s not worth trying.
Recipe below. Enjoy!
Sea Snails in Coconut Milk (Ốc Len Xào Dừa)
Top with fresh Vietnamese Coriander leaves and serve
Saute sea snails with garlic, lemon grass, chili peppers, coconut milk, salt, sugar and Vietnamese Coriander leaves
Sea Snails in Coconut Milk Recipe (Oc Len Xao Dua)
Serves 3-4
Ingredients
- 1 lb cone-shaped escargot/mud creepers
- 2 tablespoons vegetable/coconut oil
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 2 tablespoons minced lemongrass (the tender stalk of about 2 fresh lemongrass stalks)
- 1 14-oz can coconut milk
- 1/3 cup water
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- Vietnamese coriander (optional)
- Red chili peppers (optional)
Instructions
- If using fresh snails, soak them in water with a little bit of salt for at least 30 minutes to purge the grit and sand. Carefully hack off the coned end of each snail to loosen up the suction. Then thoroughly rinse and drain dry. If using frozen sea snails, the ends usually are already cut.
- In a medium-sized pan, heat vegetable oil on medium high. Add garlic, lemongrass and chili peppers (optional). If you are using fresh lemongrass, instead of tossing the tough leafy parts, cut them up into 2-inch segments and toss into the pan as well. Saute in oil until fragrant (about 15 seconds) then immediately add snails. Toss in the aromatics for about one minute.
- Add coconut milk and water. Simmer on low for 5-7 minutes. Season with salt and sugar to taste.
- Garnish with fresh Vietnamese coriander leaves (optional).
Oc Xao Me is stir-fried sea snails with a sweet and sour tamarind sauce, topped with fried garlic and served with Vietnamese coriander (rau ram). This dish comes together quickly. In this recipe, I am using periwinkle sea snails. However, you can use this sauce for any type of sea snails or shellfish.