HOW TO CLEAN AND PREPARE PEPPERED SNAIL

Snail s a special kind of meat that is quite expensive. Even though it is quite expensive, it is loved by many. It is always super delicious when made with pepper sauce. But you need to learn ho to prepare snail very well, if not you might end up having slimmy snail. And I’m sure you dont want that.

Snail dishes are a delight in Africa, especially in Nigeria. The French also have a known snail delicacy called “Escargot”, which means “Edible snail”. Snails are rich in protein and can soak up any sauce. However, it tastes stringy and has a mushroom texture. Snails can be eaten as an appetizer or used as meat in main dishes.

INGREDIENT

• Snails: ( Edible snails, freshly cleaned and frozen, can be gotten at the local market if you’d rather not go through the stress of cleaning the snails yourself)
• Red bell pepper, habanero pepper
• Garlic
• Tomatoes
• onions. 
• Stock Cubes
• black pepper
• ground crayfish
• cayenne pepper
• Salt. 
• Olive oil: used to fry vegetables.
• Lemon

HOW TO WASH SNAILS

Cleaning snails is relatively easy. First, boil the snails in a bowl for 5 minutes.
Put the snails into a bowl, and remove the snails from the shells. You can use the tip of a spoon or tweezers to do this.
Pour in lemon juice and let this soak for 5-10 minutes, then scrub the snail’s body until the slime is gone. Finally, rinse again with cold water.

MAKING YOUR PEPPERED SNAILS

There are two ways to do this, boiling or frying.

TO BOIL

• Put the snails in a pot, and add some water to cover up the snail.
• Add stock cubes, salt, and black pepper, and cook for 20 -30 minutes.
• Your snail is ready.

TO FRY

• Put a frying pan on the fire, add enough oil, and add salt
• Add the snails and stir fry for 10 minutes
• Take it out of the pan, and your snails are ready to munch on!

SAUCE

• Fry onions in hot oil.
• Pour in tomato sauce.
• Add the snail and simmer the stew until the oil shines through.
• Add salt and seasoning.

As stated earlier, snails can be eaten alone as a side dish or snack. Other traditional dishes you can make are  Nigerian fish stew, Yam and fish pepper soup, and Nkwobi.