Ma'oa & pahua tairo (tahiti)

Yield: 1 Servings

Ingredients:

2 Dozen ma'oa [turbot snails] -or pahua [clams]
500 g Taioro [juice of grated -coconuts seawater and -shrimps]
3 Onions
2 Garlic cloves

Instructions:

Salt and pepper Here's an illustrative recipe from "Tahitian Cooking". The turbot snails are available around here++in pet stores for something like eight bucks a pop! They might be available in a Chinese seafood market for a reasonable price. I'll check the next time I'm up that way. The snail of the ma'oa may be extracted from the shell either by breaking the shells with a hammer or by boiling them for a few minutes if you wish to keep the shells intact. Wash the snails and remove the pocket of black matter. In the case of the pahua a bivalve the muscle adhering to the shell should be severed the animal extracted from the shell and the black matter removed. Soak in fresh water for a few hours. Mix with the taioro then add the chopped onions and garlic plus seasoning. Serve at room temperature. [Note that there's no mention of actually cooking the stuff... S.C.] From "Tahitian Cooking" Michel Swartvagher and Michel Folco. le editions du pacifique Papeete-Tahiti 1980. ISBN 2-85700-062-6. Posted by Stephen Ceideberg; September 13 1992.