snails

[iPirate]

i was kind of wondering if sea snails are edible or if only certain species are

 

[podge]

Good question mate, sorry but I wouldn’t have a clue.
Try Agbiv, he’s one of Deeper Blue’s resident chefs and certainly knows his stuff.

 

[spaghetti]

And Chef Al (Agbiv) will give you the same old answer: "If it doesn't move too fast, eat it!" rofl

Here in the Mediterranean we eat many species of snails, almost all are edible but not all are good. I don't know about there in California.
After you've checked which ones are good in our area, you'll find many recipes if you just do a google search, also in english language.
I found, for example, the english translation of this italian classic:
http://www.foodtv.ca/recipes/recipedetails.aspx?dishid=8189

 

[agbiv]

Thank senhor Spaggo! First off, they don't move fast and therefore are fair game (pun intended). Snails (gastropoda "stomach foot") are good to eat. Mostly we are familiar with escargot cooked in butter, parsley and garlic. These are varieties of helix snails which are terrestrial (land dwellers).



For marine (ocean) varieties I don't have experience with any but the following:

• conch - stromidea great in chowders and fritters. However the meat can be tough. Beat it (no beat your meat jokes) tenderize it and finely dice it after blanching. Queen Conch is particularly good (strombus gigas).
• whelks - similar to conch. Italians call these scungilli.
• periwinkles - small coiled shells prepared much like escargot. I've heard some varieties can be bitter & may depend on forage they consume.
• barnacles - I've had an excellent soup which included huge goose barnacles! But they're not snails.

Also I've heard of, but never encountered cone snails, which occur in tropical waters and are deadly as they shoot venemous darts. It sends you into a pleasant permanent sleep. They & their toxins are being studied for medical applications.

We can have a discussion on bivalves some other time! Cheers.

PS: If you put enough butter on it it can't taste too bad!

 

[podge]

Also I've heard of, but never encountered cone snails, which occur in tropical waters and are deadly as they shoot venemous darts. It sends you into a pleasant permanent sleep. They & their toxins are being studied for medical applications.

PS: If you put enough butter on it it can't taste too bad!

Poisonous Cone Shells and Butter…..uuuummmmm it don’t come much better!roflrofl

 

[iPirate]

next time i go out ill have to grab some and throw em in the pot

 

[agbiv]

Of course you'll let us know how they turn out.

 

[iPirate]

will do. in the mean time i found this at Food Lover's Journey: Wild at Heart

sea snails with plantains and tofu
1 kg sea snail or periwinkle
100g ginger, sliced
200g chicken or pork meat
3 medium green bananas or plantains
1 tsp turmeric powder
½ tsp shrimp paste
2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
30g shallots, peeled and minced
100g (or more) fried tofu puffs, cut into bite size
4-5 tablespoons verjuice* (or to taste)
1/2 tsp rice vinegar
20g Vietnamese Perilla (tia to) or Thai Basil, leaves picked and shredded
Fish sauce, to taste
4 cup chicken stock
Oil, as needed
Method
For the snails: soak in water that has been used to wash rice for 8-10 hours. Drain. Cook in a lot of water and ginger – boil for 10 mins. Leave to cool and used a pin to pick the snail meat out. Marinade with ½ tsp shrimp paste and set aside.
Peel banana skin, cut into 2 cm slices and soak in acidulated water to prevent darkening.
Cut the chicken/pork meat into small pieces. Marinade with some fish sauce.
Heat some oil in a large saucepan, add in minced garlic and shallot. Stir until fragrant and add the meat. Next, add the green bananas, turmeric powder, 3-4 tbsp verjuice, rice vinegar and a bit of fish sauce. Add chicken stock, bring to the boil then simmer for 15 mins or until the banana is nearly cooked. Add the snails and tofu. Bring to the boil again. Check seasoning. The stew should be lightly sour.
Just before serving, re-heat the stew. Add in shredded Vietnamese Perilla or Thai Bail. Serve hot with rice.

 

[agbiv]

Sounds interesting. The starchy water from the rice is used to purge the snails prior to cooking. Definitely discard the purging water. Since the are MARINE critters and 1 cup of seasalt to gallon of the water.

 

[Oldsarge]

You know, that makes me wish I lived on a rocky coast instead of a sandy one. Maybe there are some living on the breakwall around LB harbor . . .

 

[agbiv]

Sarge, do yall have mussels there?

 

[Oldsarge]

Two species, actually, our own natives and the New Zealand greenlips. Unfortunately, I'm the only one in the family who will eat them! It's a tragedy, yanno? I do love mussels so.

 

[agbiv]

How I do know! I made a pasta sauce one time with "seafood combo", which includes mussels, shrimp, calamar, pulpo pieces w/ tentacles, scallops and other goodies. My wifie absolutely refused to try. The girls called it "Ursala's sauce", as in Ursala the wicked witch from The Little Mermaid. One girl tried and ate. Eldest took her Mom's attitude. Sorright--I ate the rest.

 

[spaghetti]

How I do know! I made a pasta sauce one time with "seafood combo", which includes mussels, shrimp, calamar, pulpo pieces w/ tentacles, scallops and other goodies. My wifie absolutely refused to try. The girls called it "Ursala's sauce", as in Ursala the wicked witch from The Little Mermaid. One girl tried and ate. Eldest took her Mom's attitude. Sorright--I ate the rest.

How could they say no to spaghetti allo scoglio??!! :vangry

It seems that our women have a problem with invertebrates (could be a message they're sending us? like "no spine, no fun"?).
I too was very disappointed the last time I came home with a bag of razorshells tha costed me a mortgage, and my wife refused to eat them....:head Oh well I ate them all myself and you know a thing? They tasted GREAT! Women, pfui, what do they know?

Now, those greenlips..........:inlove

 

[Marwan]

arent snails, "escargots" in French? its a traditional dish i believe in france, i havent tried it though..
spago..all that talk made me want to go back and cook a mean lobster risotto! you know, the one where you use the actual shells to make the stock! ummmmm

 

[Oldsarge]

I just got back from my trip to the Chinese market. They had an entire freezer case devoted to mussels, whelks, snails, clams, etc. This will definitely bear looking into. And if she doesn't like them, there's always the peanut butter jar!

 

[iPirate]

still havent had the chance to get in the water. swells to big:headlooks like it'll calm down on thursday

 

[Oldsarge]

still havent had the chance to get in the water. swells to big:headlooks like it'll calm down on thursday

That's what I'm hoping, too.

 

[agbiv]

Sarge, oh Saaaarge!

• 12 large black or green lip mussels or cherystone clams (mussels debearded of course)
• 2 cloves of garlic minced well
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano leaves
• 1 teaspoon dried basil leaves
• 1/2 sweet white onion diced reeeeeeeeal small
• squirt down with juice of 1 lemon - toss into pan but remove for serving
• 1/2 stick of butter
• a couple of splashes of Chenin Blanc
• 1 cup of water

Add everything into pan except wine. Bring to boil, reduce to simmer, add wine, cover for about 5 minutes or until mussels open. Serve in small bowls and with the rest of the wine chilled. :friday

Never eat "gappers" live mussels or clams that won't close -or- those that don't open when cooked. Clams especially could be "mudders" two closed shells full of mud or dead critters not fit to eat.

 

[Oldsarge]

Copied and filed! Only a dozen mussels? Shoot, I ate that many for lunch last summer in Honfleurs, plus half a baguette. Yum!