Ốc: how to eat snails in Sài Gòn, and what to order

In Sài Gòn, evenings smell of garlic, butter and charcoal. Follow your nose to a quán ốc: a shellfish joint with plastic stools on the pavement, baskets of snails and clams out front, and beer that disappears faster than you planned. Ốc means snail, but at a quán ốc it covers almost anything in a shell.

When and where

Ốc is an evening thing. The quán ốc fill up after work and stay loud until late. It is food for sharing: friends order a few plates, then a few more, between rounds of beer.

The famous street is Vĩnh Khánh in District 4, lined with snail joints and smoking grills. But almost every neighbourhood in Sài Gòn has its own, and the one round the corner full of locals is just as good.

What to order

• Ốc hương: sweet snails, the crowd-pleaser. Plump and mild, often stir-fried with garlic butter (bơ tỏi) or tossed with salt and chilli (rang muối).
• Ốc len xào dừa: small, long snails simmered in coconut milk. The tip of each shell is snipped off, so you can suck the snail out from the other end. Noisy, messy and very good.
• Sò điệp nướng mỡ hành: scallops grilled on the half shell with scallion oil, usually with crushed peanuts on top. The safe bet for first-timers.
• Nghêu hấp sả: clams steamed with lemongrass. Drink the broth when the clams are gone.
• Ốc móng tay: razor clams; the name means “fingernail snail”. Often stir-fried with morning glory (rau muống) or grilled.

How to order

A quán ốc menu is two lists in one: the shellfish, and the way it is cooked. Hấp is steamed, nướng is grilled, xào is stir-fried. Many places keep the raw shellfish in baskets or trays out front, so you can point at what looks good and ask how they cook it.

• “Cho tôi một dĩa ốc hương xào bơ tỏi.” One plate of sweet snails with garlic butter, please. In the south a plate is a dĩa.
• “Cái này làm món gì ngon?” What’s the best way to cook this one? Then let them choose.
• “Cho thêm bánh mì.” Some bread on the side, please, for mopping up the coconut and butter sauces.

Order two or three plates at a time and keep going, so everything arrives hot. If the menu has no prices, ask before you order: “Bao nhiêu tiền?”

How to eat them

1. Grab a pin. Every table has a little pot of pins or toothpicks. Hook the snail, follow the curl of the shell with a gentle twist, and pull.
2. Mix the dip. You will get a small dish of salt and black pepper with a wedge of lime: muối tiêu chanh. Squeeze the lime in, stir it into a paste, and dip. Add fresh chilli if you like.
3. Suck. For ốc len and other small snails, your lips work better than any pin. Nobody minds the noise.
4. Pile up the shells. By the end the table should look like a beach after a storm. That is how you know it went well.

Good to know

• Shellfish doesn’t forgive a slow kitchen. Pick a busy place where the baskets empty fast and everything comes out hot. Our guide to picking a street food stall has more signs to look for.
• In the south, beer usually comes with a glass full of ice. Say “không đá” if you want it without.
• Keep tissues or wet wipes in your pocket. Butter, coconut and lime get everywhere.
• Ốc is one stop on a long night. See our Sài Gòn street food guide for what to eat before and after.

Eat ốc with us

Our Back-of-the-Bike Food Night has you riding pillion with a local driver through District 4 and District 5: six stops, six stools, from bánh xèo to snails to chè, with drinks included.