Wavy Turban Snail Green Curry

Elmo, a San Diego commercial diver, displays the remarkable creature that he hand-harvests from the ocean floor, and has learned how to cook and enjoy. Photo Credit: Jake Stein

If you've been tidepooling in Southern California, you may have come across the shell of one of these animals, or even the living snail itself. In deeper waters, where they are harvested, they are older, larger, and more abundant. For thousands of years, this snail, along with the abalone, fed the ancestors of the native people who originally resided on this coastline. While abalone have historically been the ‘main character ‘among sea snails of the California coast...they are off-limits for commercial and recreational harvest today.

The Wavy Turban Snail is sometimes called “poor man’s abalone,” because it yields a smaller amount of sweet, white meat that is similar in taste and texture to the abalone. It is better known as a food item among coastal residents of Baja California, where it has the name “caracol panocha.” Many recipes can be found using “caracol panocha” as a search term.

Older specimens can occasionally be somewhat bitter, particularly the darker flesh and skin of the foot. That can be resolved with aggressive trimming and/or double-boil, as shared in our recipe below. A double-boil serves to tenderize the meat as well. Like the abalone, the meat of the wavy turban is chewy and benefits from a little extra effort to tenderize it, whether through long cooking methods or the use of a mallet.

The meat is very versatile - you can use it in chowders, stews, ceviches, curries. It can be ground and fried like a fritter, or sliced thin and eaten raw as sashimi.

The Wavy Turban Snail, also called the Wavy Top Snail, makes appearances at San Diego's local fishermen's markets, thanks to commercial divers. They will occasionally bring Wavy Turban Snails to sell alongside their other dive-caught seafoods.

---

The meat of the snail is “twirled” out of the shell after steaming. Note the white operculum, visible in front of the fork. The operculum is attached to the snail’s foot. When threatened, the living snail retracts its foot into the shell, pulling the operculum snugly behind it like a door or shield against predators.

Photo Credit: Jake Stein

Ingredients

• Meat of 4 turban snails, steamed, trimmed and cut into bite-sized pieces (see steps 1-2)

• 1½ tablespoons green curry paste

• 1 cup seafood broth

• 1 thumb of ginger, peeled and minced

• 3 cloves garlic, peeled and minced

• ½ onion, chopped bite-size

• 4 thai eggplants, quartered (or substitute with an eggplant variety available to you, cut into bite-sized pieces)

• 1/2 red bell pepper, sliced

• 1/2 can of sliced bamboo shoots

• 1(12 ounce) can of coconut milk

• handful Thai basil leaves

• 1 teaspoon of cornstarch, to thicken (optional)

• 1 tablespoon of neutral oil

• Palm sugar or brown sugar to taste

• Fish sauce to taste

• cilantro, fresh, chopped (garnish)

How to Prepare:

The meat of the wavy turban snail. The black skin of the foot can be trimmed to make the dish look more palatable. Photo Credit: Jake Stein

1. Steam wavy turban snails for 8-10 minutes, until meat is easily removed from the shell with a fork. Trim guts and operculum. Bisect edible meat to remove any remaining organs, and rinse well. Chop into bite-size pieces.

2. Boil a pot of water with a pinch of salt (optionally adding aromatics like ginger and lemongrass). Turn down the heat to a simmer, and add wavy turban snail meat, cooking for 30 minutes to an hour until tender. Strain meat and set aside.

3. Heat a skillet or wok with neutral oil over medium-high flame. Add green curry paste to fry for 1-2 minutes and mellow the flavors, then add onion, garlic, and ginger. Stir well to avoid burning garlic and ginger. Turn down heat to medium-low.

4. After 2 minutes, add 1 cup of broth (we use broth made from the bones and heads of fresh local fish). Mix well and continue cooking until onions soften, about 5-8 minutes.

5. Add eggplant and bell pepper and cook for another 4-5 minutes, stirring frequently. Add 1/2 can of sliced bamboo shoots and the can of coconut milk.

6. Stir well and taste. Add sugar and fish sauce to taste, no more than 1 tsp at a time. Optionally add 1 teaspoon of cornstarch to thicken the mixture. Stir continuously for 3 minutes.

7. Add wavy turban snail meat, followed by Thai basil. Toss until fully incorporated into dish, and remove skillet from heat.

8. Garnish with fresh cilantro and serve with rice or enjoy alone.