How to Cook Sea Shells | Sea Snail Recipe (shells)

How to Cook Sea Shells. With various types of seashells found along the sea coast, some of them are eaten as food. The type of shells that I am talking about is the small sea snails or shells as we call them. These shells are got from the rocks in the sea, towards the coast, they generally cling to these rocks.

Eating snails or shells may sound unpleasant to most of you until you derive a taste for them. They have a meaty texture that is succulent. They also have a low-fat content and are a good source of iron, calcium, and other minerals. The protein content in these sea snails is similar to the protein in pork and beef.

These sea snails (shells) are in plenty in and around Mumbai and eaten as food, especially by the East Indians in Mumbai. We also call them khubas or khube locally and you can find them in some fish markets. We cook these shells in a variety of different ways like potato chops, curries, chilli fry, and so on. They absorb the flavour of the spices and taste delicious.

The love for such rare and traditional dishes is slowly diminishing, especially among the new generation. This post is my humble attempt to preserve this traditional delicacy. Cleaning and preparing the shells for cooking is also time-consuming, and hence the dish is slowly being written off.

About Sea Shells and some memories…..

As kids, we spent our vacations at our Grandma’s home at Bandra. Bandra then was like a village and Grandma has a big house with fields, trees such as drumstick and jackfruit, and a deep well near the house. The house would be filled with 23 grandchildren during vacations.

Grandma Annie’s house was very close to the sea near Carter Road. She would once in a while take us kids to bathe/play in the sea during high tide. The sea at Carter Road had a lot of sand and we would enjoy making sandcastles. It was fun to see how the waves would come up to the shore and wash away our sandcastles.

Playing and bathing in the seawater was a treat, especially in the summer heat. Grandma would sit on the sand and keep a watchful eye on the kids. After an hour or so she would call out to us to get back home. Lightly wiping our dripping bodies with towels, we would walk back home joyful and satisfied. Once back home, we would then bathe with water drawn out from the big well behind the house.

Collecting Sea Shells

Grandma Annie, to keep the kids engaged in some activity, would take us to the seashore on low tide days to get some sea shells. These sea snails or shells would cling to the rocks in the shallow sea waters. Once sighted, we would pick them up and drop them into our bags, one by one. Grandma’s watchful eye would still be on all the kids. Once we collected enough, it was time to get back home.

Back home, these shells were washed thoroughly and then boiled in a big vessel. We kids would sit all-around on the veranda of the big house, with pins in our hands to remove the snails from its shell. One by one we would pluck out the snails with the pins and drop them into a bowl. These would be then cooked into a delicious dish that we as kids would relish.

Gone are the days of pure innocence, fun, and frolic. But to this day I do not understand how Grandma would figure whether the tide was high or low. Today Carter Road has changed a lot. It now has promenades and nobody can venture into the sea.

All of us still have fond memories of our Grandma Annie. She was of petite stature, very adorable, and a lady of great courage. She was born on St Anne’s Feast day which falls in July and hence the name Annie. Grandma passed away in October 1988 at the age of 86.

How to clean shells and prepare for cooking

• Immerse the shells in a bucket of clean water for 10 to 15 minutes to let the sand settle down.

• Now wash them well a couple of times and then transfer them into a large pot. Fill the pot with sufficient water and boil the shells for 10 to 12 minutes or until the thin covering slightly opens up. Switch off the flame and allow these to cool a little.

• When the seashells are cool enough to handle, flip open the thin covering with a pin and pull out the snail from its shell. Collect the snails into a bowl and set them aside for cooking.

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How to Cook Sea Shells

You can cook sea shells in a variety of different ways. Once you boil the shells, for 15 to 20 minutes, the snails are almost done. You can go ahead and make some Potato Chops, just swap the chicken mince with the meaty snails. Or you could also make some delicious Chilli Fry with Potatoes, here simply swap prawns with snails.

Today I made a simple traditional curry using the East Indian Bottle Masala, coconut milk, and potatoes. To cook sea shells into a delicious recipe, you will need –

• INGREDIENTS
  • 1 cup boiled Snails
  • 2 potatoes, peeled and cut into cubes
  • 1 cup coconut milk
  • 1 small onion sliced
  • 1 tbsp East Indian Bottle Masala or any Curry Masala powder
  • 1 small ball of tamarind
  • Salt to taste
  • 2 tbsp oil for cooking

• METHOD
  • Heat 2 tbsp oil in a vessel and add the onion slices. Saute until the onions turn translucent.
  • Now add 1 tbsp East Indian Bottle Masala and fry for a minute. Add a splash of water if the masala sticks to the vessel.
  • Add potatoes, salt, and the boiled snails. Also, add a cup of water and let the potatoes cook.
  • Once done, add the tamarind extracts and the coconut milk.
  • Delicious curry of sea snails (khube) is ready and you can serve this with steamed rice or rice rotis.

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Thank you for stopping by,

Love, Anita