Dragon claw snail (also known as devil claw snail or devil hand snail) is actually a type of oyster that lives naturally in the sea and cannot be farmed. This type of snail usually lives attached to rocks along the coast and only appears in clean sea areas.
In Nha Trang, this type of snail is very rare. Many seafood restaurants along Xom Con Street, Cu Lao Trung Street, and Nguyen Van Linh Street also have very few people who know about this rare seafood.
Steamed Dragon Claw Snails with Ginger
Mr. Nguyen Van Hung (a seafood restaurant owner on Xom Con Street) said that this type of snail is very rare, if you want to eat it, you have to order it a month in advance because the diver has to find a nest of snails, pin down the coordinates of where they live. He waits until there is enough quantity, about 3-4 kg, to go get it.
Dragon claw snail has 2 parts, the upper part is very succulent, shaped like a hand with many claws. That is why people call it dragon claw snail or devil hand snail.
The bottom part is quite sweet, when split, the snail has a fresh, cool taste. When eating snails, people often steam them with ginger, lemongrass, chili and dip them in ginger fish sauce or seafood fish sauce.
Strange shape like reptile claws
According to research around the world , the seas in Spain and Portugal have many of these snails, but they are usually in remote, rocky waters, so catching dragon claw snails is difficult and dangerous work.
To catch these snails, workers must take a boat out to sea and dive along the rocks to pry off the snails that are firmly attached to them.
Because of the extreme difficulty of catching them, the price of dragon claw snails is very high, up to 200-300 euros/kg (about more than 5 million VND to nearly 8 million VND/kg). Europeans love this food and consider it a high-class seafood because it has very high nutritional value.
In China, there is a type of snail with a similar shape called gooseneck snail that also costs up to 900 yuan (about 3 million VND).
Dragon claw snail - devil claw snail in Nha Trang - Food review
In Khanh Hoa , dragon claw snails are found in rocky islands in Van Phong Bay. Most are found in the Khai Luong sea area (Van Thanh commune). To get here, people have to take a boat.
Snail collectors must wear protection because this type of snail is often found in crevices in rocks. They have to swim along the rocky shore to find it, which is very dangerous and can easily be crushed by waves against the rocks. Snails usually stick together in clusters of about 3-5 snails per cluster.
In Nha Trang, it is also difficult to have a specific price for this type of snail because restaurants rarely import it. Many restaurants say it can be sold for a few hundred thousand VND to a few million VND/kg or is only used to treat guests at special events.
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