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Snack & Appetizers

Escargots à la Bourguignonne

Escargots à la Bourguignonne: a refined appetizer of land snails with butter, garlic and parsley that brings authentic French flavor to the table.
Recipe Escargots à la Bourguignonne
  • Difficulty Medium
  • Preparation 30 minutes
  • Cooking 2 hours
  • Servings for 4 people

Have you ever dreamed of impressing your guests with a refined snail appetizer that turns dinner into a true gourmet experience? This Escargots à la Bourguignonne recipe brings the most intense aromas and flavors of French cuisine into your home, with a perfect balance of simplicity and sophistication. Famous in the most exclusive restaurants, this dish combines the delicacy of land snails with a rich dressing of garlic and parsley butter. Making them means learning how to cook snails in butter so that every ingredient shines: a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, the scent of fresh herbs and the right amount of patience for a golden, fragrant gratin.

The star of many special dinners where elegance and originality are the goal, snails with garlic and parsley butter are a bold yet surprising choice for anyone who loves to experiment in the kitchen and wants to serve something unique. The preparation calls for attention to detail, especially when cleaning and cooking the snails, but the result is an elegant dish for special dinners that will hardly go unnoticed. The finishing touch comes from the oven: snails baked in butter become irresistible thanks to an aromatic crust that releases all the fragrance of the herbs, creating a perfect balance between crisp and tender.

Curious about other snail ideas? Also try Snails in Tomato Sauce for a more rustic flavor, or go for Snail and Pancetta Skewers. To stay in the mood of this French snail recipe, let yourself be tempted by Beef Bourguignon, or by seafood dishes such as Oysters Rockefeller and Grilled Oysters. Now find out with us how to serve snails as an appetizer and every step to prepare snails with garlic and parsley just as tradition calls for.

Ingredients for 4 people

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Method

  1. To make Escargots à la Bourguignonne, you first need to purge the snails: place them in a closed container with holes to let air through, and leave them in a dark, cool, dry place for a couple of days.
  2. Once purged, rinse the snails thoroughly under running water and cook them in boiling water for about an hour, using a skimmer to remove the foam that forms on the surface. Drain them and take them out of their shells with the help of kitchen tongs.
  3. Take the shells and cook them for about 10 minutes in a pot of boiling water with the baking soda. Drain them, rinse them and let them dry on paper towels. While the shells are drying, take the snail bodies and remove the darkest part, which is the intestine.
  4. Wash the onion, peel it and cut it into quarters. Take a large pot, fill it with water and cook the onion, parsley and peppercorns. When the broth starts to boil, add a pinch of salt and the snails to the pot. Cook for about an hour and a half, or until the snails have become tender. After this time, drain the snails and set them aside.
  5. Take the butter (it should be at room temperature), cut it into small pieces, place it in a bowl and work it with a spatula until smooth and creamy. Add the garlic crushed with a garlic press, the salt, the pepper and the chopped parsley to the bowl as well and mix until evenly combined.
  6. Take the snail shells and, using a spoon, fill them with a little of the butter you just made. Push a snail body into each shell, pressing lightly, and cover it with more butter. Continue until all the snail shells are filled.
  7. Take the escargot dish and place a shell in each hollow, making sure the opening of the shell faces up. Bake in a conventional oven at 200 °C (400 °F) for 8 minutes, take them out and serve your Escargots à la Bourguignonne piping hot. Finally, remember to download our App with exclusive content and fewer ads!

Tips

If you don’t have a special escargot dish, you can fill a baking dish with coarse salt, make holes in the salt and arrange the snails in them, always with the opening facing up.

Storage

Escargots à la Bourguignonne can be stored in the fridge for a couple of days, but they must be kept in an airtight container.

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