bailer shell Melo melo, one of the largest edible gastropods (creatures living in single shells). The shell, which may measure 25 cm (10") across, is yellow and red with purplish or black spots. The inhabitant of the shell is itself black with yellow lines, like a huge and exotic snail. This Indo-Pacific species is rarely seen in the markets, but makes good eating and is prized by fishermen in SE Asia, where it is usual to boil the creatures, or fry them with vegetables, or roast them and dip them in a chilli sauce.
