Tenderizing Substitute Escargot

[Casual Cook]

Hello,

I got inspired while walking through a local Vietnamese grocery store and bought some frozen snail meat. I sauted them in butter and garlic for about 15 minutes. Though the snails were pretty small, they were very tough.

I know that the French use a certain snail species, but they are crazy expensive to mail order. Does anybody know any secrets or have any suggestions for tenderizing the far less expensive Vietnamese snails?

Thanks in advance

 

[Andy M.]

I think the problem was the 15 minutes. Snails are tiny little critters. A quick saute of a couple of minutes should be adequate.

 

[BigDog]

T'was the secret ingredient on ICA last week, Flay versus . . . . . I don't remember. Anyways, I do recall them not being heated very long to be considered cooked.

I got a kick out of that episode because the WWE wrestler Dave Batista was one of the judges. We're talking about a guy that is 6' 6" and almost 300 pounds ( WWE: Superstars > Raw > Batista > Bio ) and they're feeding him snails? I had to laugh. He impressed me during the "interview" with Alton and during the judging, as though he isn't as versed as Jeffrey Steingarten (who is?) he was knowledgeable. He also was distinguished and somewhat soft spoken, which contrasts his in ring persona.

 

[luvs]

i agree. they were probably kinda overcooked.

 

[DramaQueen]

Snails are very tender little critters, but like clams, they become tough and rubbery when cooked beyond 2 or 3 minutes. I don't cook my snails before stuffing them into the shell. I add the parsley/garlic/butter sauce then pop them under the broiler for a 2 mintues. That's it. Tender, and flavorful.