It seems like a simple Google, but it’s not…
How do I go about collecting, preparing and cooking common snails (UK here)…
Google turns up a hell of a lot of advice, but reading through any quantity of it shows it’s just a bunch of old wives tales.
So what do I do? Just starve them for five days and then boil them?
Here’s a page with a basic snail recipe and how you should prepare them.
I wouldn’t just go picking them out of your garden and cooking them - there are risks from pesticides, parasites etc. Also, while I don’t know if there are any snails that can’t be eaten, some of them taste like crap. Find a snail supplier in your area (often providores supplying restaurants will be able to help you out.)
Alternatively, collect your snails in the wild, keep them in a pen for at least three days (feed them while they’re there), if they’re still alive after three days they’ll probably be alright but, personally I use snails that are bred from a population that has been in my snail farm for many generations (many generations of snails that is, not many generations of my family)
If you want to start snail farming here’s a page from the US Dept of Agriculture on how to do it
BTW the two species you want to eat are Helix pomatia or Helix aspersa. Most people eat H.Pomatia (the roman snail) but H. aspersa (the brown garden snail actually tastes better.
This is about cooking so I’ll move this thread to our arts forum, Cafe Society.
bibliophage
moderator GQ
I had snails once. It was like pieces of tyre in garlic butter. Very chewy.
Sounds like they weren’t prepared quite properly. They should be slightly more shrimp-like in texture and not quite so “bouncy.” (In my experience) if you overcook them, as with any meat, they get a toughness that gives them a what-the-hell-am-I-eating??? rubbery texture.
This from someone with your username…?
Of course I dye my snails “Forest Green” and “Celestial Blue” to match the rest of the food on my plate…