Bilolá

Ingredients

Snails

• 1.2 kggiant sea snails in the shell, or 700 g cleaned snail meat
• 3 tbspcoarse salt
• 2limes, juiced
• 1 tbspvinegar

Stew

• 4 tbspred palm oil
• 2onions, finely chopped
• 4garlic cloves, crushed
• 1red pepper, diced
• 2 tbsptomato puree
• 4ripe tomatoes, grated, or 400 g tinned chopped tomatoes
• 2Scotch bonnet chillies, whole or chopped to taste
• 1 tspground black pepper
• 1stock cube
• 1small bunch basil or country-onion leaves, torn
• salt

To serve

• 800 gmalanga, yuca or ripe plantain, peeled and boiled in salted water
• or steamed white rice

Directions

1. Boil the snails in their shells in well-salted water for 20–25 minutes until the operculum loosens, then drain and pull the flesh out with a fork, twisting so the tail comes with it.
2. Cut away the dark visceral coil and the horny operculum disc, keeping only the pale muscular foot.
3. Rub the flesh hard with the coarse salt, lime juice and vinegar for 2–3 minutes. It throws off a grey slime. Rinse and repeat until the water runs clear; this scrub is the whole secret of the dish.
4. Simmer the cleaned snails in fresh water 30–40 minutes until a knife tip enters with light resistance. They should be springy, not rubbery. Reserve 250 ml of the cooking water and slice the flesh thickly.
5. Warm the palm oil in a heavy pot over medium heat only until it loosens and turns bright orange. Never let it smoke; burnt palm oil ruins the whole pot.
6. Fry the onion 8 minutes until soft and sweet, then add the garlic, red pepper and tomato puree and cook 3 minutes until the paste darkens to brick.
7. Add the tomatoes, chilli, black pepper, stock cube and the reserved snail water, and simmer uncovered 20 minutes until the oil floats clear on top and the sauce is thick and glossy.
8. Fold in the sliced snails and simmer 10 minutes more so they take on the sauce, stir in the torn basil off the heat, and serve with boiled malanga, yuca or plantain.

Technique

• Bilola are the giant sea snails gathered off Bioko’s rocky shore; the double clean, salt-and-lime scrub then a long simmer, is not optional, or the flesh tastes of iodine and slime.
• Red palm oil is a flavour, not just a fat. Refined palm or vegetable oil gives a pale, flat stew that no Equatoguinean would recognise.
• Past the springy stage snail turns to eraser. Start testing at 30 minutes and stop the moment the knife goes in.

Substitutions

• Whelks or large periwinkles behave almost identically and are cleaned the same way. Squid is a distant third and needs only 3 minutes in the sauce.

Variations

• Bilola a la parrilla: the cleaned, boiled snails threaded on skewers, brushed with palm oil and chilli and grilled over charcoal at Malabo roadside stalls.

History

Large sea snails prised from Bioko’s volcanic rocks and stewed with palm oil and chili, the island’s best-known speciality.

Frequently asked questions

What is Bilolá?

Bilolá is a main from Equatorial Guinea: giant sea snails stewed or grilled, Bioko island specialty. Large sea snails prised from Bioko’s volcanic rocks and stewed with palm oil and chili, the island’s best-known speciality.

How long does Bilolá take to make?

Bilolá takes 30 min of preparation and 1 hr 15 min of cooking. The recipe makes 4 servings. It is rated medium to make.

What can I substitute in Bilolá?

Yes, within limits. Whelks or large periwinkles behave almost identically and are cleaned the same way. Squid is a distant third and needs only 3 minutes in the sauce.

What is the most important thing to get right in Bilolá?

Rub the flesh hard with the coarse salt, lime juice and vinegar for 2–3 minutes. It throws off a grey slime. Rinse and repeat until the water runs clear; this scrub is the whole secret of the dish.