Way Ot......

[Bonnie Campbell]

I bought my husband a can of burgundy escargot for Valentine's Day.... I found a recipe for butter, garlic, parsley and mushrooms. But he's NOT going to be able to eat 72 snails in one sitting. Anybody have any experience with freezing them?

And are the escargot considered 'cooked' when they come in a can?


(no, I DON'T think I'll be eating any lol)

[David G Baker]

I have never had them at home but had them a couple of times in restaurants. The ones I ate were similar to mushroom soup in taste and texture.
I don't know about freezing them and had no idea they came in a can.

[Glenn Clabo]

From a reliable source...

The escargot can be frozen from the can...uncooked just like any other seafood. Freeze on a tray until hard, then package single-serving portions in small freezer bags. Better yet imho you can also add butter and garlic and freeze until hard, then put in bags for later baking.

Go ahead and close your eyes try one...if you like seafood you may just be surprised.

[Mitchell Andrus]

You feed your husband SNAILS?????

Aren't there reality shows that show people eating stuff like that?

[Rob Russell]

I don't have any experience in freezing them, but we have used the canned ones before. My wife found a recipe from Julia Child that "refreshes" the escargot. You might use that technique when you thaw the escargot that you freeze.

[Bonnie Campbell]

You feed your husband SNAILS?????

Aren't there reality shows that show people eating stuff like that?

You're telling me?!? lol

He's always talking about the escargot he had in France. Well, I'm no french chef, but figured I'd give it a shot. I've got to bake up some fresh bread to go with them too..... probably french bread to keep up the theme. I'll at least have some fresh bread I can eat :o

I figure it can't be any worse than the fish head stew I made for my first husband. I couldn't even watch him and my daughter eating the eye balls! Some things just aren't meant to be eaten!

How do you 'refresh' them Rob?

[Rob Russell]

We love escargot - don't knock 'em until you've tried 'em!

They really are delicious and it's not like you're eating Rocky Mountain oysters or anything gross like that.

We like to do them in mushroom caps. They are a LOT easier to eat that way than in the snail shells and the mushroom flavor goes very well with the escargot. The french bread is a must for soaking up all the garlic butter afterwards!

Refreshing the escargot is basically gently, briefly simmering them in beef stock with some herbs. It rehydrates the snails. I'm sure you could find a recipe online for them.

[Bonnie Campbell]

Thanks Rob, I'll give that refreshing a shot. I KNOW he can't eat 72 snails in one sitting!

Oh, I'll probably try one. I have better luck trying new things like that if I don't know what they are. If I like liver I guess I can like snails lol

I do happen to have some sliced portabella (sp?) mushrooms on hand, so I'll chop some for the butter sauce.

[Rob Russell]

I wouldn't put anything in the butter sauce other than garlic and some herbs.

If you like liver, snails will be a delicious surprise. They are really quite mild in flavor. If you're thinking that snails will be horrific, little "hold-your-nose" things to eat - you're waaaaaay wrong.

Escagot are mild in flavor. I guess the best way I could describe them is like a strong mushroom. To me, lamb is a stronger flavored item than snails.

One other thing - if you drink alcohol, IMO the best thing to serve with escargot is champagne. Doesn't need to be great - something about the bubbles with the snails is a divine combination.

[Bonnie Campbell]

Well, would of looked prettier if the snails had fit in the shells. Guess I got ones that were to big. I DID try a few, they were okay, but I'd rather have crawfish lol

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v630/annieoakley/Escargot.jpg

[Glenn Clabo]

Drooling here in Rhode Island...