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Loading...A beloved Nigerian delicacy featuring tender giant African land snails simmered in a fiery pepper sauce built on scotch bonnets, bell peppers, and aromatic ginger. The snails soak up the bold, oily pepper mix while staying snappy and juicy. Best served as a starter with cold drinks or alongside plantain chips.
Prep Time20 mins
Cook Time25 mins
Total Time45 mins
Servings4
Yield4 servings
Nutrition Facts
Per serving (estimated)
- 275 kcalCalories
- 14 gFat
- 2.5 gSaturated Fat
- 12 gCarbs
- 3 gFiber
- 5 gSugar
- 26 gProtein
- 720 mgSodium
- 480 mgPotassium
- 90 mgCalcium
- 6 mgIron
- 85 mgVitamin C
- 180 mcgVitamin A
Ingredients
For boiling the snails
- 2 lbs cleaned giant African snails (about 12 large)
- 4 cups water
- 1 small onion, quartered
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
For the pepper sauce
- 5 scotch bonnet peppers, seeded for less heat
- 2 red bell peppers, roughly chopped
- 1 large red onion, sliced
- 4 garlic cloves
- 1 inch fresh ginger, peeled
- 3 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- 1 Maggi seasoning cube, crumbled
Directions
- Place cleaned snails in a pot with the water, quartered onion, salt, and baking soda; bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce and simmer for 12-15 minutes to tenderize before draining and setting aside.
- While the snails boil, add scotch bonnet peppers, bell peppers, garlic, and ginger to a blender and pulse to a coarse paste; set aside.
- Heat the vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium heat and sauté the sliced onion for 3-4 minutes until soft and translucent.
- Add the blended pepper paste and fry for 8-10 minutes, stirring often, until the mixture deepens in color and oil begins to pool at the edges.
- Stir in the crumbled seasoning cube, dried thyme, and a pinch of salt, then cook 1 minute more to bloom the spices.
- Toss in the drained snails and stir well to coat every piece in the pepper sauce; simmer for 5-6 minutes so the snails absorb the flavors.
- Taste and adjust salt and heat, then remove from the heat and let rest 2 minutes before serving hot.
- Serve in a small bowl with toothpicks or alongside chilled drinks, beer, or sweet fried plantains.
Cook’s Notes
- Always buy pre-cleaned snails or scrub them vigorously with salt and lime to remove slime before cooking.
- Baking soda is the key to tender snail meat; do not skip this tenderizing step.
- Adjust the number of scotch bonnet peppers based on your heat tolerance, and remove the seeds for a milder sauce.
- The pepper sauce should reduce until oil separates from the paste; this concentrates the flavor.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days and reheat gently on the stove.
