You'll be shocked by how simple this Escargot Recipe is! Impress your friends with one of France's classic dishes - escargot (snails) with a parsley garlic butter!
In a garlicky mood? Check out my Cava Garlic Sauce (Toum) Recipe, which is great on anything!
Recipe Quick Look: Escargot with Garlic Butter
- ⏱️ Prep Time: 20 minutes
- 🍳 Cook Time: 12 minutes
- 🕒 Total Time: 32 minutes
- 👥 Servings: 4
- 📊 Calories: ~448 kcal per serving
- 🔥 Cook Method: Canned snails packed in garlic parsley butter, baked in shells or a dish until the butter is golden and bubbling.
- 🐚 Shell Note: Escargot shells make for a beautiful presentation but aren't required - a simple baking dish works just as well.
- 👩🍳 Flavor Profile: Rich and deeply savory with a garlicky herbed butter sauce - far more approachable than it sounds.
- ⭐ Difficulty: Easy, perfect for a dinner party appetizer or special occasion starter.
SUMMARIZE AND SAVE THIS RECIPE ON
My first trip to France came right as I was starting to become a more adventurous eater. Before that, I was notoriously picky and escargot would have been completely off the table.
But when in France, you do as the French do. Once I found out that the traditional escargot recipe is essentially just snails drowning in a garlicky herbed butter, I was fully on board. It's one of those dishes that sounds far more intimidating than it actually is. This version works beautifully in shells if you can find them, or just as well in a simple baking dish. If you love this style of garlicky French appetizer, you'll also love easy but fancy recipes like my truffled deviled eggs with caviar and my lobster pot pie recipe.
Table of Contents:
What is Escargot?
Escargot is simply the French word for snail - but when you see it on a menu, it refers specifically to the French preparation, which is what this escargot recipe is based on.
Snails are eaten across much of the world - Spain, Southeast Asia, and parts of Africa all have their own preparations - but France made them famous. For most of history, snails were considered peasant food, cheap and widely available. Due to the growing popularity of French cooking as the 'mother cuisine,' chefs brought snails or escargot to the mainstream, elevating escargot into a delicacy, and that reputation has stuck ever since.
Why You'll Love This Escargot Recipe
- It's shockingly simple. The most labor-intensive part is mincing the garlic - and even that takes just a few minutes. Everything else is just mixing, assembling, and baking.
- It makes an unforgettable impression. Most people have never been served homemade escargot outside of a restaurant. It's the kind of dish that makes guests think you spent hours in the kitchen when you didn't.
- Works with or without shells. The shells make for a stunning presentation, but a simple baking dish gets you identical flavor. No special equipment required.
- The garlic butter is the star. Once you make this escargot garlic butter - fresh garlic, shallot, parsley, good European butter - you'll find yourself wanting to put it on everything.
What you need for this recipe
Ingredients and Substitutions:
- Escargot - I use the Roland brand extra large canned snails, which I've found at Whole Foods and even Walmart. One commenter noted you can also find frozen snails at Asian grocery stores, which is worth knowing if you want a non-canned option.
- Shells (optional) - Purely for presentation. A regular baking dish works just as well and gives you the exact same flavor - don't let the lack of shells stop you from making this escargot recipe.
- Garlic - Fresh only, and mince it finer than you think you need to. This is a simple recipe and the garlic is doing a lot of the heavy lifting - jarred garlic won't cut it here. The same rule applies in my confit garlic if you want a mellower, slower-cooked garlic option to experiment with.
- Shallot - Finely minced. If you can't find shallots, omit rather than substitute - other onions will overpower the butter.
- Butter - Use the best European butter you can find. My top pick is Beurre d'Isigny Demi Sel - it's worth the splurge for a recipe this simple. The same butter philosophy applies to my tagliatelle alfredo, where good butter is equally non-negotiable.
- Parsley - Fresh only, minced to almost a dust. Chives work as a garnish on top, but parsley is the right call in the butter itself.
- White Wine - Just a tablespoon brightens the butter without making it boozy. A squeeze of lemon works in a pinch.
How to make this Escargot Recipe
- Step 1: In a mixing bowl, add softened butter, garlic, shallot, parsley, white wine, salt, and pepper. Mix to combine.
- Step 2: Use a small spoon or a teaspoon measure to add garlic butter to the bottom of the baking dish or into the empty escargot shells.
- Step 3: Top the butter with drained escargot, then add another scoop of butter on top. You may need to use your fingers to press it down, the escargot should be covered in butter.
- Step 4: Bake in a 400º F oven for 10-12 minutes until the garlic is cooked and the butter is beginning to brown at the edges.
💭 Expert Tips & Tricks
- Quality ingredients matter more than technique here. This escargot recipe has almost no technique to it - which means the butter, garlic, and parsley are doing all the work. Use the best European butter you can find, fresh garlic only, and parsley minced to nearly a dust.
- Canned snails are easier to find than you'd think. Roland extra large snails are available at Whole Foods, Walmart, and online. Frozen snails from Asian grocery stores are another great option if you want something non-canned.
- Don't rush the garlic. When you think you've minced it enough, keep going. Larger pieces of raw garlic won't cook through fully in 10-12 minutes and you'll end up with sharp, harsh bites instead of sweet, mellow garlic flavor throughout the butter.
- Serve immediately. The garlic butter starts to solidify as it cools. Have your bread, plates, and guests ready before the escargot comes out of the oven. A crusty baguette is non-negotiable for soaking up what's left in the dish. If you're putting together a full appetizer spread, my crispy baked garlic parmesan chicken wings make a great companion.
Escargot Recipe FAQs
Yes. Canned escargot are fully cooked and packed in their cooking liquid. For this escargot recipe, that means you're really just heating them through and letting them absorb the garlic butter flavor, not cooking them from raw.
Yes, rinse them thoroughly before using. The canning liquid has a strong briny flavor that will throw off the balance of the garlic parsley butter if it makes its way into the dish.
Technically none. Escargot is simply the French word for snail. But when used culinarily, "escargot" refers specifically to the French preparation: snails baked in a rich garlic parsley butter sauce, either in shells or a dish. That's exactly what this escargot recipe is.
A crusty baguette or something like Sourdough Stecca Bread is a classic pairing - you need something to soak up the garlic butter left in the dish, which is the best part. A crisp glass of white wine or champagne rounds it out perfectly. If you're building a full appetizer spread, my Crab Rangoon Dip is always the first thing to disappear at a party. It's rich, cheesy, and completely different from the escargot but equally crowd-pleasing.
Storage & Reheating
Store in the Fridge: Leftover escargot can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. Keep in mind the garlic butter will solidify when cold.
How to Reheat: Add escargot back to a small baking dish and reheat in a 375°F oven for 5-7 minutes until the butter is melted and bubbling again. Avoid the microwave - it will make the snails rubbery.
Honest note: Like most shellfish and butter-based dishes, escargot is genuinely best eaten fresh out of the oven. If you're entertaining, it's worth making exactly as many as you need rather than planning on leftovers.
🧄More Garlic-Heavy Recipes You'll Love
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📖 Recipe
Escargot Recipe
Equipment
- 1 Escargot Dish optional
Ingredients
- 24 Canned Escargots (large) drained and rinsed
- 24 Escargot shells optional
- 1 cup Salted butter softened to room temperature
- 1 head Garlic finely minced or grated, roughly 8-12 cloves
- 1 small-med Shallot finely diced
- ¼ cup Parsley finely chopped into dust-like texture (¼ cup or more)
- 1 tablespoon White wine
- ½ teaspoon Kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon Black pepper or to taste
Instructions
- Before cooking: Remove butter from the fridge and allow it to soften to room temperature.
- Pre-heat the oven to 400ºF.
- In a mixing bowl, add softened butter, garlic, shallot, parsley, white wine, salt, and pepper. Use a rubber spatula to thoroughly mix butter together.
- Use a small spoon or a teaspoon measure to add the garlic butter either into the empty shells or into the bottom of the baking dish. Top that pat of garlic butter with the drained escargot, then another teaspoon-sized scoop of garlic butter. If using shells, it should be 1 scoop of butter, 1 escargot, then 1 more scoop of butter. Ensure the escargot is fully covered in the butter.
- Bake in a pre-heated 400º F oven for 10-12 minutes or until the garlic is cooked and the butter is beginning to brown on the edges. Cool slightly, then serve.
Notes
- Use the best European salted butter you can find. This is a 5-ingredient recipe, so quality matters more than technique.
- Fresh garlic only, minced finer than you think necessary. Pre-minced or jarred garlic won't cook through properly in 10-12 minutes.
- No shells? A regular baking dish works perfectly. Use roughly 1 cup of garlic butter for 24 snails, about 2 teaspoons per snail.
- This escargot recipe relies on a handful of simple, high-quality ingredients. Swapping the butter for a lower-quality option or skipping the fresh garlic will noticeably affect the final dish. Make as written for best results.
David says
To get non-canned escargot, visit your local Asian grocery store. They will likely have various frozen types.
Anonymous says
To get non-canned escargot, visit your local Asian grocery store. They will likely have various frozen types.
Anonymous says
Made tos recipe several times now. It’s easy and delicious!!
ZINOVY says
GOOD
Yvonne Mouton says
Great success! My niece’s first escargot experience and she loved it.
Jen says
Perfect with mushroom caps, too! Followed the recipe but included mushroom caps for my favourite restaurant classic. SO good.
Beverly says
How would you add Parmesan if you wanted to add Parmesan to this
Emily says
Hi! I would add it on top of the escargot just before putting it in the oven.
Anonymous says
on top. people these days
Trisha Jive Cariño says
Delicious!
joanne Hiscock says
follow recipe and mince that garlic really well-white wine and chopped parsley topped this great recipe
Joh says
Looks easy and will certainly try.
Norbert says
Better than restaurant.
Kathleen says
Love, find food and great dining. Especially love to cook dishes my friends have never had.
Kkkk says
Really simple
Yvonne Mouton says
Great success! My niece’s first escargot experience and she loved it.