# I have a can of snails. Now what? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 6, 2004, 1:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-a-can-of-snails-now-what/238533 "2004-04-06T13:10:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![AskNott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asknott/32/5790_2.png) [@AskNott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AskNott)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2004, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-a-can-of-snails-now-what/238533/41 "2004-04-07T18:37:47Z")
The traditional recipe varies from place to place. In these parts, though, if you’d like a son, you’ll need a can of Puppydogs’ Tails and a can of Snips. Stir-fry all three ingredients in a large wok with peanut oil and why sauce. Sprinkle on enough fresh grass clippings to hide the mix. Add 1/4 cup of piss and vinegar. Put a lid on it, and simmer to steam the grass until tender. Serve with a baseball. ---
**Author:** ![Binarydrone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3da27b/32.png) [@Binarydrone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Binarydrone)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2004, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-a-can-of-snails-now-what/238533/42 "2004-04-07T19:17:56Z")
How about this: Morel season is coming up. As is fiddlehead season. What if you make a pasta toss with morels, fiddleheads and snails? It would go something like this: First, boil the fiddleheads for a few minutes and then shock them in cold water. I would then sauté shallots, Morels, Fiddleheads and Snails in olive oils with just a little butter. I might also add some thinly sliced red bell pepper as I think that the flavor would brighten the dish and it would also add a great deal to the visual appeal. Toss in a little salt and pepper and serve over angel hair pasta. Some fresh Romano on top might be nice as well. ---
**Author:** ![Kalhoun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3bc359/32.png) [@Kalhoun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalhoun)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2004, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-a-can-of-snails-now-what/238533/43 "2004-04-07T19:26:59Z")
> [@romansperson](#): > > For a nice presentation, buy some of the decorative shells and place them in those. Though I warn you they are a pain in the butt to wash. Funny, but I never knew they didn’t come in their own shells until I met someone whose job was to stuff the little fellers into them. I tried 'em once, and I’ve had a better time chewing on rubber bands. ---
**Author:** ![UrbanChic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/9dc877/32.png) [@UrbanChic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UrbanChic)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2004, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-a-can-of-snails-now-what/238533/44 "2004-04-07T19:43:41Z")
Binarydrone, what a great idea! I’ve only had fiddleheads twice: once in a restaurant in New York City and the other in a restaurant in Atlanta. They were so tender and so nummy. I’ve never purchased them myself, though. I’m going to call our two Whole Foods markets and see if they’ll have any in stock this season. If there were that tough to chew, Kalhoun, they were either a) overcooked or b) actual rubber bands. I’m going with the former. ---
**Author:** ![DesertDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desertdog/32/11503_2.png) [@DesertDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DesertDog)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2004, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-a-can-of-snails-now-what/238533/45 "2004-04-07T19:43:49Z")
> [@Bippy the Beardless](#): > > Are canned snails nice to eat? I do like the odd snail in garlic butter, but wouldn’t want to mess about with the fresh free roaming variety in my garden. But California snails are perfectly edible, being escaped escargot (Somehow ‘feral’ just doesn’t work well in this context). The _Mercury_ had an article about processing those pests. They recommended you keep them in a bucket for a week or so to make sure thay hadn’t snarfed up any snail bait when you weren’t looking, and to purge them with cornmeal. I didn’t actually try it myself, I must admit. DD ---
**Author:** ![Kalhoun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3bc359/32.png) [@Kalhoun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalhoun)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2004, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-a-can-of-snails-now-what/238533/46 "2004-04-07T19:52:26Z")
> [@JuanitaTech](#): > > Binarydrone, what a great idea! I’ve only had fiddleheads twice: once in a restaurant in New York City and the other in a restaurant in Atlanta. They were so tender and so nummy. I’ve never purchased them myself, though. I’m going to call our two Whole Foods markets and see if they’ll have any in stock this season. > > If there were that tough to chew, Kalhoun, they were either a) overcooked or b) actual rubber bands. I’m going with the former. Heh. I was going to vote for the latter! 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Binarydrone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3da27b/32.png) [@Binarydrone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Binarydrone)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2004, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-a-can-of-snails-now-what/238533/47 "2004-04-07T20:20:50Z")
> [@JuanitaTech](#): > > Binarydrone, what a great idea! I’ve only had fiddleheads twice: once in a restaurant in New York City and the other in a restaurant in Atlanta. They were so tender and so nummy. I’ve never purchased them myself, though. I’m going to call our two Whole Foods markets and see if they’ll have any in stock this season… With fiddleheads, do note that preparation is important. You will want to pick out only the most tightly curled ones. Before boiling, you will want to obsessively wash them in plain water then nip the brown tips. When you boil them (I would say 5 to 7 minutes) you will see that the water turns brown. I usually boil for about three minutes, then rinse and boil again for another three and rinse again. Otherwise they can be rather bitter. ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2004, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-a-can-of-snails-now-what/238533/48 "2004-04-07T21:18:26Z")
> [@JuanitaTech](#): > > I’ve come into a can of snails. Well, I suppose it can’t make them taste any worse :eek: ---
**Author:** ![Antonius\_Block](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/51bf81/32.png) [@Antonius\_Block](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antonius_Block)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2004, 12:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-a-can-of-snails-now-what/238533/49 "2004-04-08T00:09:24Z")
> [@panache45](#): > > It’s nice to know I’m not the only person in possession of a can of snails. You certainly aren’t, **panache45**. I always try to keep a can of snails in my pantry, and have a couple of dozen shells that I re-use. They make a fun _hors d’oeuvres_. Cleaning the shells is a bit of a pain due to the helical shape; I usually heat up a stockpot of water, then “drown” each shell by rotating it under the water so all of the air escapes, then drain everything (rotating the shells in the air) and repeat a couple of times. > [@plnnr](#): > > A Spanish friend of mine was given a can of squid in its own ink as a gift at a Burns Night Dinner. How you prepare squid in its own ink (or why you’d eat it) is beyond me. Mmm… _chipirones en su tinta_. They’re already cooked, so you can just reheat and serve over rice. [Here’s](http://www.tienda.com/food/pop/se-14.html) an example. Rather unusual Burns Night gift, though, unless you consider “squid in its own ink” to be the Basque equivalent of Haggis. > [@pulykammel](#): > > Zarela Martinez, in her fabulous book on Mexican cooking, Food From My Heart: The Cuisine of Mexico, has a recipe for a sauce based on Maguey worms. I’ve always wanted to try it, I just don’t know where to find Maguey worms. Well, first you buy several bottles of mezcal… ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2004, 12:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-a-can-of-snails-now-what/238533/50 "2004-04-08T00:15:20Z")
Nonono. Think: [ul] [li]Snail[/li][li]Hook[/li][li]Line[/li][li]Catfish!![/li][/ul] Nummy-nummy catfish, eatum up YUM! No icky baitburgers! The reason people rag on the French is because the eat the bait! They should get some industry, some enterprise, & go fishing! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-a-can-of-snails-now-what/238533.md?page=2)