Ma’oa And Pahua Tairo (Tahiti)

Servings: 1
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
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.