Appears in
Oxford Companion to Food

By Alan Davidson

Published 2014

  • About

sand-bug also known as sea cicada, Hippa asiatica, an engaging little creature which looks something like a crab, a prawn, a beetle.

The sand-bugs, considered a delicacy in Thailand, are whitish-yellow in colour and measure from 3 to 6 cm (about 1–2"). They are best sought after high tide, when the waters have swept them up onto the beach; but they must be sought quickly, for their habit is to dig themselves holes in the wet sand and it is difficult to extract them from these. The island of Phuket is famous for them and people there proudly tell visitors that the royal family of Thailand order them for state banquets, even 20,000 at a time.