Quick-fried Sea Snails (Youbao Hailuo)
A classic Shandong dish featuring tender-crisp sea snails, quick-fried over high heat with garlic and soy sauce for a burst of ocean flavor.
Ingredients
16 items- Sea snail meat 300g
- Spring onion 2 stalks
- Ginger 1 small piece
- Garlic 3 cloves
- Green pepper 1/2
- Carrot a few slices
- Light soy sauce 1 tbsp
- Shaoxing wine 1 tbsp
- Oyster sauce 1 tbsp
- Sugar 1 tsp
- White pepper a pinch
- Salt to taste
- Cornstarch 1 tsp
- Water 2 tbsp
- Sesame oil few drops
- Cooking oil 300 ml
Nutrition
Steps （9 steps）
Clean the sea snail meat, removing all viscera and slime. Rinse with salt, then drain well. Thinly slice (about 0.3 cm). Transfer to a bowl, add a little Shaoxing wine, white pepper, and salt, mix well. Add 1/2 tsp cornstarch and toss to coat. Let marinate for 5 minutes.
In a small bowl, combine light soy sauce, Shaoxing wine, oyster sauce, sugar, white pepper, salt, slurry (1 tsp cornstarch + 2 tbsp water), and a little extra water. Stir well and set aside as the sauce mixture.
Cut spring onion into sections, slice ginger and garlic. Cut green pepper and carrot into diamond-shaped slices. Set aside.
Heat enough oil in a wok to about 180°C (six-tenths hot). Add the marinated snail slices and stir-fry quickly over high heat for 10 seconds, until they curl and change color. Immediately remove and drain oil.
Leave about 1 tbsp of oil in the wok, heat over medium heat. Add spring onion, ginger, and garlic, stir-fry until fragrant (15–20 seconds).
Add green pepper and carrot slices, turn to high heat and stir-fry for about 20 seconds until just cooked but still crisp.
Return the snail slices to the wok, stir-fry over high heat for 5 seconds to combine with the vegetables.
Pour the prepared sauce along the edge of the wok, stir-fry intensely over high heat for 10 seconds, until the sauce coats all ingredients evenly and thickens slightly. Turn off the heat.
Drizzle in a few drops of sesame oil, toss quickly, and transfer to a serving plate. Serve immediately.
Tips
Marinating the snail slices briefly helps tenderize. Do not exceed 10 seconds in the oil or they toughen. Prepare the sauce mixture beforehand for a very quick stir-fry. Keep the heat high and work fast.
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