We wanted to start this section with an article about how to clean snails for later cooking.
Cleaning the Snails well is very important before cooking them.. For many people, this is a tedious task, but the trick is to follow the steps that we will give you below.
INDEX
How to clean snails in 5 steps
First of all, It must be said that you can start from two different points depending on the snail that is going to be prepared.:
- Snail collected in the field.
- farm snail.
The first requires a longer and more laborious process., the second just follow the instructions from step four of this article.
1. Clean snails collected from the field.
When you come home with a snail collected from the field it is convenient remove any snails that may have broken, those that are not well finished (beaded and hard) and all those who “they look bad”.
The goal is clear; avoid as much as possible that there are casualties in the rest of the process since those dead snails could contaminate the rest.
Of course, also remove any remaining vegetables (herbs and/or small branches) that could have come with the snail.
2. Fasting and Purging.
Once we have the snail well selected and clean of plant remains, undergoes a time of fifteen days in which he is not fed.
In some places they are hung in nets and in others they are placed in wooden or wicker shells.. Although the ideal is not to feed the snail during these days, It is common to find those who are saved, flour or bread left over from day to day.
The goal of this type of feeding is to see white excrement (compared to the dark and black ones deposited by snails from nature) to stay calm. The truth is that one is just as excrement as the other..
At this point in the process of cleaning snails, It is important that the snail has some activity. The point is that your metabolism is not too low and therefore, eliminate possible toxicity taken in the field.
For this it is It is highly advisable to provide them with a little bit of humidity to stimulate them.. Evidently, The place where this step is carried out must be cool, no high or oscillating temperatures. The main objective of this step is that the snail is “clean inside” your digestive tract is empty.
3. Drying.
There are many times that the snail is collected during its active season in order to save it to be consumed months later..
If this is the case, The snail from the previous step should be moved to a cool, dry place., well ventilated and away from direct sunlight.
If the collected snail is “bueno” and the previous step has been done well, the snail can last for months.
4. Clean Snails with a warm shower.
At this point we would start with the farm snail. All of the above do not make sense since they already come farm facts.
The snail has absolute traceability, your diet is controlled, It is selected when collected and purged and dried for maintenance..
So, reached this point, must clean the snails with a good splash of warm water. This step can be “as generous” in its duration as you want..
The objective is twofold. On the one hand, drag away all possible traces of earth and dirt that may remain on the shells.
On the other hand, make the snail start to wake up and get the bug out.
5. Warm soak.
after shower, clean the snail by placing it in a container with warm water.
This will make the snail finish coming out of the shell and enter the pot with the bug already outside..
Traditionally it is considered that this step should incorporate salt, vinegar and other substances to make the snail “slime and clean”.
In some areas, The snails are cleaned by introducing the meshes directly into the sea a certain number of times.
In this sense, say that, first, this would make some sense if we had to clean snail from the field.
The farm's snail is now clean and with health guarantees. Y, second, The snail will never stop producing slime until we have killed it..
In case you want clean snails deeper, It is advisable to repeat or lengthen the previous step or change 2 – 3 times the water in this step.
Cook the Snails after cleaning them
Once we have the snails clean and ready to cook, we only have left 2 steps before starting to enjoy its delicious flavor.
Blanching Casserole.
Put the clean and active snail in the pot.. In all the previous steps we should take the opportunity to remove dead and broken snail if there is one..
The water in the pot should be warm and over low heat to help the snail come out of the shell..
Once we have all the snail in the pot, we raise the heat to cook it. The key to this step is that the snail is perfectly fooled, that is to say, cooked with the bug outside the shell.
If you want to know more about this step, We have a publication where we explain how to cook snails.
Add the sauce.
The liquid from the previous step is removed. This liquid is usually a little cloudy., it's normal. They are put in a drainer and showered with water again..
They are incorporated into our sauce (already prepared previously) and they leave 10-15 minutes over low heat so that they mix well and unify.. The ideal is to let it rest and eat the next day..
Our advice is that buy farm snail. This way you can taste and enjoy perfectly prepared and clean snails with all the health and traceability guarantees..
Buy Live Snails for cooking
If you are looking for quality snails, organic and ready to cook, These are the ones we have available for you.
Buy Cooked Snails
Yes, despite the guidelines for cleaning snails that we have shown you in this publication, you're too lazy to do it, but you want to enjoy a good taste, We have these cooked snails available.
– Curiosities –
Why should you clean snails??
Finally, and as a curiosity, I will tell you the main reasons for why you should clean snails before cooking them.
Until not long ago, the snail that was cooked and consumed was collected in the field, which, This meant that there was no control over their diet and health status..
Little was known beyond the fact that the snail from this bitter site or that from the other has a finer flavor.… All animals are what they eat, but the snail especially.
It is a natural defense mechanism to take color from the environment (Depending on whether they are from one place or another, their shell and flesh tones change.), the taste and, even, the toxicity of some plants.
In this way the snail hides and protects itself from the brutal predation it suffers in nature..
GOOD, Well, basically this is the reason for purging and cleaning the snail..
This is popular knowledge that is lost in time.. Pliny the Elder, Back in the 1st century he already described how snails were cleaned in the pompous Rome of the time..
The reason, although most of those who do it do not know it, is from food safety.
The nutritional security that our ancestors knew and managed and that led them to keep the snail fasting for about fifteen days to achieve the dual purpose of cleaning its digestive tract and ensuring that no trace of possible toxicity remained active in its metabolism..
So, the reason explained, It is possible that we clean the snail more in line with the objective to be met and less aggressive with the product we will eat..
