Snails

[HomeCookKirsten]

Seeking home cooks or chefs who can offer any feedback, advice, recipes, tips or otherwise about cooking snails.

I made a dish with snails tonight for the first time, and it was quite good. I made it with crimini mushrooms, roasted red peppers and lots of garlic and white wine, over grilled polenta.
http://homecookkirsten.blogspot.com/2...

Prior to this, I had only had them in restaurants. I want to also try the traditional butter-garlic-herb recipe, but beyond that, snail cooking and recipes seems very limited.

I REALLY hit google hard and didn't come up with much, so before I do this again, tips, ideas?

Thanks!

[purple goddess]

I have done them slow cooked in a tomato/olive/garlic/wine sauce over pasta, and had them served paella sytle, too.

Have used canned ones, and also harvested them from my own garden.

Have to say, fresh is best.

[HomeCookKirsten]

Thanks PG - fresh is best, I am sure, but how gross was it to get them ready?

Also, sadly, I live in Arizona and have never seen 1 snail here, so I am not sure it's an option, but I still want to hear about it! :)

[purple goddess]

not gross at all...

But remember I am in Australia, so I'd check before you eat any local ones.. juuuuuuuuust incases...

Here in Melbourne, despite being in the grip of the worst drought on record, they're in bloody plague proportions... so, a few years ago I harvested a goodly 100 or so out from my garden. The key is to plonk them in a bucket with lots of fresh lettuce (but I have also heard you can use bran, too).. you cover the bucket, change the lettuce daily and throw away any dead snails.

After a week, any snails that are sick, or riddled with snail poison have died, the live ones have had a thorough clean out and they're the ones fit for eating.

I just chucked them live, into a pot of boiling salted water to kill them, and then scooped them out immedietly and added them to my italian style sauce...

There were moments of "Pretty Lady", as we didn't have the proper snail utensils, but fingers and corn-on-the-cob prongs did the trick.

[HomeCookKirsten]

Oh what a great detail!! Thanks!! :)