Phú Quý Island is home to an incredible variety of sea snails—big and small—each one meaty, fragrant, and endlessly enjoyable. From cone snails, hand snails, jumping snails, Venus snails, thorn snails, iron snails, trumpet snails, moon snails, queen snails, red snails, and more, these ocean treasures can be prepared in countless ways: steaming, grilling with scallion oil, or mixing into fresh snail salads. No matter the dish, they’re so tasty that you’ll find yourself going through plenty of dipping sauce.
Jumping Snails
Jumping snails live hidden beneath the sandy seabed. Fishermen who harvest them often carry a breathing tube in their mouths and dive deep, collecting the snails into mesh nets worn at their sides. Once they’ve gathered around 10–15 kilograms, they surface. During rough seas, jumping snails rise closer to the sand, making them easier to catch than on calm days. Although the work is physically demanding, diving for jumping snails provides a decent income, and thanks to the dedication of these fishermen, Phú Quý is never short of this prized seafood.
Hand Snails
In summer, when the sea turns clear and blue, fishermen head out to dive for hand snails. Large ones yield only 10–15 snails per kilogram. They can be prepared in many delicious ways, with lemongrass-steamed or chili-salt grilled being the most popular.
Fresh live snails are soaked and rinsed several times to remove sand and algae before cooking. They are usually left whole, then marinated according to taste. Some cooks carefully crack a small hole in the shell to help the seasoning penetrate the meat. To remove any seaweed odor and enhance flavor, lemongrass leaves, fresh ginger, chili, and other spices are used. After marinating for about 20 minutes, fresh lemongrass is laid at the bottom of the pot, the snails are added on top without extra water, and the pot is tightly covered to steam. As the pot heats up, the snails release their own juices, blending with the spices to create a rich, aromatic broth.
Grilled hand snails with chili salt follow a similar process. With a generous amount of chili salt, the snails are grilled over charcoal until the shells are lightly charred and the meat inside is perfectly cooked—fragrant, savory, and pleasantly spicy.
Whether steamed or grilled, cooked hand snails reveal golden-orange meat peeking from the shell. Diners can easily remove the meat with a pick or by hand. The flesh is plentiful; larger snails can be cut into smaller pieces, offering a crisp, sweet bite infused with the taste of the sea. Dipped in salt, pepper, and lime while still hot, it’s simply outstanding. Beyond its flavor, hand snail meat is also rich in nutrients.
Trumpet Snails
Trumpet snails are a familiar everyday seafood for the people of Phú Quý. They’re commonly boiled, steamed, grilled, or—most enticingly—made into trumpet snail salad, a local favorite. Trumpet snails can grow very large, sometimes weighing up to 2 kilograms, and can survive for weeks in saltwater after being caught. However, for salad, they are best prepared immediately while the meat is still fresh and naturally gelatinous, preserving the dish’s authentic flavor.
To make a delicious trumpet snail salad, the balance of sugar and vinegar must be just right—not overly sweet or too sour. Fragrant fried shallots are sprinkled on top, and the dipping sauce is carefully mixed to harmonize sweet and sour notes. The salad is typically enjoyed with shrimp crackers or grilled rice paper, making it irresistibly appealing.
Moon Snails
Moon snails are found in many coastal areas of Vietnam, especially from Quảng Trị to Bình Thuận. However, thanks to Phú Quý’s unique geography and natural conditions, Phú Quý moon snails are considered more aromatic and flavorful than elsewhere. As a result, moon snail fishing has flourished on the island in recent years.
Except for the rough-sea season from around mid–ninth to the end of the tenth lunar month, fishermen can harvest moon snails throughout the year, with peak season in May and June during shallow-water months. At this time, locals can catch 4–5 tons of moon snails per day, along with other snails and seafood.
Moon snails can be prepared in many ways: boiled and dipped in ginger fish sauce, grilled with butter, or grilled with garlic and chili. Among these, moon snails stir-fried with lemongrass and chili are the most popular with visitors, thanks to their simple preparation and rich, crowd-pleasing flavor.
The most challenging step is cracking the heavy shell to remove the meat. A hammer or large stone must be used carefully so the shell breaks cleanly without damaging the flesh or embedding shell fragments in it.
Once cooked, moon snails stir-fried with lemongrass and chili are simply irresistible. Interestingly, the moon-shaped operculum at the snail’s opening—often overlooked—becomes a handy “utensil,” replacing spoon or fork. Diners leisurely use it to lift the snail meat to their mouths. The spicy aroma of lemongrass and chili, combined with the snail’s crisp texture and increasingly sweet chew, is utterly captivating—so much so that you’ll keep eating without realizing how much time has passed.
As delicious as they are, moon snails are difficult to bring home as souvenirs due to their heavy shells and transport challenges. Many visitors leave Phú Quý only to find themselves later longing for the taste, reminiscing fondly and wishing they could enjoy them just one more time.
