Making grape snails does not take much time. But if you never made such a dish yourself, then you will have to try hard so that you get a really very tasty and nutritious lunch.
General information
A modern citizen of our country has grape snails (the recipe for cooking will be presented later) is associated more with the sea or an aquarium than with cooking. However, it should be noted that in many countries of Asia and Europe - this is a common item in the menu of cafes and restaurants. Snails are bred on special farms, sold frozen or alive.
Making grape snails at home became fashionable only in the 20th century. In those days, a dish using this product was considered a delicacy. Although now in Russia, not everyone makes such a dinner at the usual family table. Snails are cooked only on big holidays and only if you really want to surprise your guests.
Product benefits
Are grape snails useful? The method of preparation of this product is such that it retains practically all the nutritional components. It should be noted that snail meat is often recommended for those who are on a diet. Indeed, in 100 g of this product there are only 90 calories, as well as 2-3% fat, 15% protein and no cholesterol. In addition, snails contain unsaturated fatty acids. They are rich in phosphorus, zinc, magnesium, calcium, potassium, copper, iron and vitamins B, A and E.
Fastest cooking
The quick preparation of grape snails is especially popular with tourists who, if they suddenly meet these river animals, can diversify their diet in a matter of minutes. Indeed, very often it happens that for some reason snails begin mass migration and crawl out onto the roads. In half an hour, tourists are able to collect several kilograms of live product, and in another quarter of an hour to get a hearty and nutritious dinner.
Of course, cooking grape snails at home requires the use of special ingredients. But if it is decided to make such a dish in the open air, then a modest set of products can be dispensed with.
To make a delicious dinner, freshly caught river animals are thoroughly washed, and then laid on a grill above the coals with the holes up. At the same time, add a small pinch of salt and pepper to each sink, as well as pour a little sunflower oil or put a piece of lard. In this form, grape snails are baked for about ten minutes.
After the meat is cooked, it is picked out from the sink with a toothpick, separated from inedible elements and consumed with a slice of bread.
Cooking snails in boiling water
The preparation of grape snails in camp conditions may involve the use of different types of heat treatment. If you do not want to bake them, then for this you should prepare several liters of boiling water. All snails are dipped immediately into it and boiled for about 3-5 minutes after boiling.
This procedure will allow you to quickly clean the snails of existing mucus, and also greatly facilitate their extraction. After the meat is taken out of the shell, it is cut, leaving only a fleshy cephalopod. In the future, culinary experts act at their discretion. Some of them continue to cook the product in salted boiling water with various vegetables, getting a full-fledged soup, and some fry it in lard or sunflower oil along with garlic and onions. In the latter case, you will get a very tasty appetizer that resembles white meat or mushrooms.
Cleaning the product at home
How to prepare grape snails for cooking? If you have enough time and also have a full set of kitchen utensils, there are several options for how to make a delicacy from a river product. But for this it should be properly cleaned.
To do this, some chefs can withstand snails in a refrigerator in an empty pan for three to ten days, washing them periodically. Other housewives recommend leaving the product for several days on bran, flour or aromatic herbs such as fennel and thyme. With this method, on the third day, the snails will clear and acquire a natural aroma.
In Mediterranean countries, live snails purchased in markets are not subjected to a purification procedure. This is due to the fact that they are already being prepared for use on farms. As for our country, unfortunately, such a product without preliminary cleaning loses its taste quite strongly.
Having completed the purification procedure, you should make sure that there are no dead people among living snails. To do this, they are placed in water and removed those who have not shown any signs of life.
After the implementation of the described actions, the snails are boiled in boiling water directly with shells, and then washed well. Only after that the product becomes suitable for culinary experiments.
Maltese stew
Processing and making grape snails at home is a quick and easy process. After the product is cleaned and scalded with boiling water, it is immediately used to create culinary delights.
So, to make a delicious Maltese dish, we need:
- dry red wine - 1 glass;
- blanched snails - about 500 g;
- olive oil - 45 ml;
- fresh mint, marjoram and basil - apply to taste;
- pepper and salt - apply to taste.
Cooking process
How are grape snails stewed? The recipe for this dish requires the use of a stewpan. Olive oil is poured into it, and then previously processed snails are laid out. Fry the product a little (right in the sinks), pour it with dry red wine, and then salt, pepper and stew on low heat for about ¼ hour.
Shortly before turning off the stove, finely chopped greens are added to the stewpan and all the ingredients are mixed well.
Serve the finished snails in the sinks to the table preferably in a hot state, after watering them with the sauce remaining in the saucepan.
Cretan fried snails (with rosemary)
Cooking grape snails at home takes about ¼ hour. But this is only if you follow all the prescription requirements.
So, to make Cretan snails, you need to purchase:
- prepared blanched snails - at least 500 g;
- olive oil - about 100 ml;
- wine vinegar - 2 large spoons;
- rosemary - a large spoon;
- table salt - add to taste.
Cooking method
Before frying the snails, a thick-walled pan is strongly heated, and then a thin layer of table salt is poured. Next, the whole processed product is laid out in the dishes with the holes facing down and allowed to dry.
After all the excess moisture has gone, olive oil is poured into the snails, mixed and fried for 3-5 minutes. Then they add rosemary and wine vinegar. All ingredients mix well and remove from heat.
Serve the snails in the sinks for dinner only after they are doused with the oil in which they were fried. The meat of river animals must be pulled out with a toothpick. Before using it, be sure to remove the dark tip.
Step-by-step recipe for making grape snails at home
The most delicious grape snail dish is the French escargo dish. To do it at home, you do not need much effort and time.
So, the classic recipe for preparing grape snails involves the use of the following components:
- canned grape snails - about 1 kg;
- fresh baguette - 1 pc.;
- high-quality butter - about 300 g;
- fresh garlic - 1 head;
- olive oil - about 30 ml;
- lemon juice - apply to taste;
- parsley, fresh herbs, salt - apply to taste.
How to cook?
Before subjected to heat treatment of all snails, their meat is carefully removed from the shells, and then cleaned from inedible elements. Then it is laid out in a pan and fried for 3 minutes using olive oil.
While the snails are fried, all sinks are well washed and dried. Subsequently, heat-treated meat is returned to them. After that, they take butter, cut it into small pieces and add crushed garlic cloves. Then, lemon juice and finely chopped greens, including parsley, are poured into the same dishes. All ingredients are salted, pepper and crushed using a blender. The resulting mass is used to seal the sinks, after which they are laid out on a dry baking sheet with the holes up.
After filling out the sheet, it is sent to the oven. At a temperature of 240 degrees, snails are cooked for 3 minutes (no more).
Proper serving to the dining table
Escargo is a very popular dish in Europe. To bring it to the dining table, they even came up with special devices: a metal tray with small recesses for the sinks (that is, an escargot), tongs that hold the sink in, and a fork with two long teeth, with which they remove the contents.
In France, escargos are served as a pre-dinner snack. As for Australia and the United States, in these countries this dish is considered the main one.
After the grape snails are cooked in the oven, they are laid out on a metal tray and presented to the table with tongs and a fork. A fresh and crispy baguette is also cut separately, with which they enjoy a creamy meat dish.