Sautéed Escargot with a Dash of Tabasco

Before I get to my post on the slimy delights affectionately named escargot by the French – bless them! – let me say that today is the day, guys. Its “Men Make Dinner" day, and I’m not the least bit impressed with the men in my life. I’ve had just one attempt at the #CookingForAnaale challenge. Unfortunately, Robert Afulimi’s good intentions to feed me lunch yesterday went down the drain because he made me kontonmire sauce with palm oil and I have a palm oil intolerance. I do however appreciate the efforts. And to be clear, I don’t even need to eat it, just cook it! 

As I’m trying to be merciful, despite my rather foul mood at the total lack of motivation from most of my male friends to cook, I’m still going to be nice and post a recipe today! Hopefully this will inspire many to try their hands at cooking for a change!

Anaale’s Sautéed Escargot, the mollusk must eat meal of the year! But before that,

Behold, The lecture...

Snails come from a phylum of animals known as mollusks. Mollusks are a group of invertebrates, animals that do not have a vertebral column, most of which have shells and live either in water or on land. There are ten classes of mollusks (two of which are extinct) but for fear that you might stop reading, I will name only three living classes: Gastropoda (snails and slugs), Bivalvia (oysters, mussels and clams) and Cephalopoda (squids and octopuses). 

Thankfully quite a number of daring human beings from prehistoric times, and the French and Chinese in the space of a few centuries, already conducted highly risky experiments to test the edibility of mollusks and so we know today that squids, clams and snails, among others, make great dishes.

Snails are an excellent substitute for other animal proteins in a meal because they supply a good amount of protein and comparably less fat. They are also high in iron, potassium, Vitamin E, Copper, Selenium and other nutrients.

The Fun side...

Not only were the French daring enough to, you know, eat these slimy creatures but they gave them a name so elegant that we can hold our heads high in a dimly lit restaurant and say with flair “can I have some escargot?” without conjuring the image of these slimy, sluggish things.

S'il vous plaît, puis-je avoir des escargots?

Oh heavens!, hear how good that sounds!

The Real Deal...

Okay guys, so all the plenty talk just to share my sautéed escargot recipe may be getting wearying. So find it below. Note that it’s a pretty hot dish and definitely not for the faint-hearted!

Sautéed Escargot Recipe

Ingredients

1. Six (6) large snails, weighing about 300g without shells (cleaned and prepared, see below)

2. Two (2) large carrots, julienned (make strips slightly thicker than a regular julienne cut)

3. One (1) large onion, chopped

4. Peppers:

      One (1) green bell pepper, chopped

      Nine (9) hot chilli peppers, sliced

     (preferrabley a mixture of Madamme Jeanettes and green and red scotch bonnets).

      Do not seed if you live on the edge like I do!

5. Two (2) tablespoons of oil (I have a coconut oil craze but I choose a less strongly flavored oil for this recipe. Use olive or soybean oil)

6. Mixed dry herbs, as desired (go for mixtures of oregano, rosemary, thyme, parsley and basil)

7. Salt to taste (about ½ a teaspoon)

To clean and prepare snail,

Use lime juice or vinegar to wash (at least twice). This takes out the slim and reduces the earthy flavor of the snails. Boil snails afterwards till cooked, usually takes about 20 minutes. At this stage you usually won’t need any seasoning though you can drop a few cloves into the boiling water. After they are cooked, cut in halves and set aside.

Preparation.

1. Heat oil in a large pan on medium heat

2. Fry hot peppers only

You will require a nose mask for this. Remember to leave your windows open for ventilation and drive everyone out of the house.

3. Add prepared snails and sauté till they look just slightly browned. You may lower heat and cover in between stirs if you want snails slightly moist

4. Add dry herb seasoning

5. Add vegetables, carrots first, then bell peppers and then onions at ten second intervals. Do not overcook (aim at a one minute cook counting from addition of carrots)

6.Add salt to taste

Serve with steamed rice or other carbohydrate of your choice. Add a dash of Tabasco sauce if you are daring enough!

Serves 3

Calories per serving….230 Calories

                 14g  carbohydrates

                         of which 6g sugars

                 11.5g fat

                 18g  protein

                 3g   fiber

                 490mg sodium

If you do not add any salt at all, sodium content will be 110 mg per serving. Adding more than half a teaspoon of salt will increase sodium content.  Check label of your seasoning to be sure it doesn’t contain added salt. If it contains more than 300 mg of sodium per serving, do not add additional salt.