Escargot Recipe (With & Without Shells)

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!

The first time I ever traveled to France was as I was just beginning to become an adventurous eater. Prior, I had been extremely picky and would have never tried escargot.

But, when in France, you do as the French do...and eat escargot! Once I learned that the traditional preparation of escargot is basically just drowning it in a garlic butter, I was sold.

This escargot recipe is shockingly easy. If you're lucky enough to find the escargot shells to stuff them in, that makes for a beautiful presentation, but no worries if you want to make it without shells!

Recipe Origins

It should surprise no one that escargot comes from France. Escargot is the French word for snails, so seeing that word on a menu does refer to the French preparation of snails, which is the one in this escargot recipe.

However, snails are eaten in other parts of the world aside from France. It is not uncommon to find snails in other parts of Europe (such as Spain), Southeast Asia, and even in African countries.

Interestingly, throughout most of history snails were considered a 'poor man's food' not to be served in fine dining. However, due to the growing popularity of French cooking as the 'mother cuisine,' chefs brought snails or escargot to the mainstream, even bringing them to now be considered a delicacy.

Why you'll love this recipe

• Surprisingly Easy - An escargot recipe seems very fancy and intimidating, but its SO easy.
• Impressive - Seriously, have you ever been served escargot outside of a restaurant? Impress your friends with this dish.
• Unique - Sure, the dish is common, but cooking it yourself is rather unique.

What you need for this recipe

Ingredients and Substitutions:

• Escargot - I'm not even sure if you can find these aside from canned versions, but I used the Roland brand of "extra large snails." Most likely, whatever you can find will work. I found these at Whole Foods.
• Shells (optional) - This is really mostly for presentation and aesthetic purposes. Omit if necessary.
• Garlic - Please, use fresh garlic. I know it takes a while, but this recipe is so simple and the garlic flavor is so important, that using pre-minced garlic just wont taste as good.
• Shallot - Finely minced shallot. If you can't get a shallot, I recommend omitting it, as other onions won't work as well.
• Good Butter - GOOD butter. Preferably french butter, but any European salted butter that is high quality will work.
• Parsley - Fresh parsley only, minced into nearly a dust. I can imagine that chives would be delicious as well, but parsley is preferred.
• White Wine - Just a small amount. If necessary, omit or use a squeeze of lemon.

How to make this recipe

Step 1: Prepare ingredients

Remove butter from the fridge and allow it to soften to room temperature.

Open the can of escargot and drain out the liquid.

Allow the escargot to sit in the strainer for a few minutes to remove more liquid.

Meanwhile, peel and finely mince about 10 cloves of garlic. When you think you've minced it enough, mince it even more. This should take a while.

Finely dice/mince a small shallot as small as you can, but don't macerate the shallot.

Remove parsley leaves from the stems. Pinch them into a tight stack and slice, then mince until parsley is in "flake" or "dust" texture.

Step 2: Make the Garlic Butter

In a mixing bowl, add softened butter, garlic, shallot, parsley, white wine, salt, and pepper.

Use a rubber spatula to thoroughly mix butter together. An electric mixture could be used for this, but it is absolutely not necessary.

Step 3: Assemble and Bake

Use a small spoon or a teaspoon measure to scoop out the base layer of butter.

Whether using shells or an escargot plate, add one scoop to the vessel.

Then, top with a drained escargot, then add another scoop on top. You may need to use your fingers to press it down, as the escargot should be covered in butter.

If you are using just a baking dish and no shells or escargot dish, you'll want to use roughly 1 cup of garlic butter for 24 snails. (2 teaspoons times 24 = 1 cup).

Bake in a 400º F oven for 10-12 minutes.

The garlic should no longer be raw, and the edges of the butter should begin to brown.

Remove from oven and cool slightly, then enjoy!

Expert Tips & Tricks:

• Because this recipe is rather simple, the quality of the ingredients is very important. Opt for the higher quality butter, use fresh garlic, etc. My best butter recommendation is Beurre D'Isigny Demi Sel. Yes, it is a little pricey. Yes, it is absolutely the best butter ever.
• Finding canned snails was actually easier than I expected. I've seen them at multiple Whole Foods, and I've even seen them in Walmart. Look at your local stores, or order it online.
• Please, use fresh garlic. I know it takes a while, but this recipe is so simple and the garlic flavor is so important, that using pre-minced garlic just wont taste as good.

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