Snails: How are They Farmed, Cooked, Eaten, and More

What are snails?

Snails are featured heavily as part of the local cuisine in France (where they’re called escargot) and India. They are also part of the typical cuisines of Greece, Cyprus, Malta, and some North African countries.

Snails are usually featured as a luxurious appetizer or entree in these countries and are an iconic dish in French cuisine. Large land snails—such as helix snails—are usually the type used in escargot dishes. 

You can buy snails fresh from the seafood counter, buy them canned, or find snails in the frozen food section of your local grocery store.

Where do snails originate from?

Humans have used many species of snail as food since prehistoric times, evidenced by the roasted shells of land snails found in multiple archeological excavations in the Middle East and Europe. Edible snails were considered a delicacy and an elite food by the ancient Romans.

Snails came to the U.S. in the 1850s through immigrants who were from France and trying to reproduce their native dish. Soon, snails became a featured item in luxury dining, and by the 1980s, edible snails were a $300 million business in the U.S.

How are snails harvested?

Outside of the snail farming industry, helix aspersa, helix locurum, and helix pomatia snails are all found naturally in Europe and can be wild-caught. Whether wild-caught or farm-raised, snail production is very labor-intensive which is reflected in the high price tag of this delicacy.

How are wild-caught edible snails harvested?

During the autumn and early winter seasons, in the wilderness of Eastern France, snails are collected by escargot harvesters usually after heavy rains, which is when these little creatures are more active. Each snail from this region is wild-caught, put into baskets, and taken to processing plants.

At the processing plants, the snails are species separated, then starved and refrigerated until they fall into hibernation. They are then inspected, washed, scalded, and pulled out of their shells, and the meat is flash-boiled. 

The snails are then sized according to which escargot products they will be used for. Some snails go into pâtés, hors d’oeuvre or preserves. The large and extra-large snail meats are cooked and canned in broth, and the smaller snail meats are re-shelled usually with a garlic butter paste.

How are farmed edible snails harvested?

Snail farms grow and raise their snails in artificial ecosystems. A snail farmer needs enough space to keep 20 snails per square inch. They need to be fed well, have calcium added to their feed, and kept in a moist and humid environment. The right equipment is also needed to regulate feed and water, control the climate, and measure temperature and humidity.

Growth is measured by shell size since a snail’s weight fluctuates a lot. Snail farmers then pick out and keep the largest snails that mature the fastest for their breeding stock. 

Before preparing snails for eating, farmers feed them to clear out grit then starve them so their digestive systems empty—this is known as purging. Then they are removed from their shells and cooked in either broth, wine, or garlic butter. 

The snails are then either placed back in the shells with the butter paste or placed in special, indented snail bowls for individual snail servings. 

What are the different varieties of snails?

There are over 40,000 different species of land, sea, and freshwater snails categorized. Of these, only a few are actually eaten.

The most popular snail is the Burgundy snail (Helix pomatia) which is often known as “the land lobster” for its superior flavor and texture. It is also the most commonly used edible snail.

There are 3 main species of helix snails that are edible or used in most snail dishes and products:

• Roman or Burgandy snail (Helix pomatia) 
• Garden snail (Helix aspersa) 
• European snail (Helix lucorum)

How are fresh snails served or eaten?

Snails feature widely in European cuisine and are especially common in France. They are usually an entree or served as an appetizer, and your best chance of finding somewhere that serves snails is trying a high-end or specialty French restaurant. 

Traditionally, snails cooked French-style, will be baked in the shell and cooked in parsley and garlic butter. The taste and texture of snails are similar to eating mussels but chewier. The snails will also take on the flavor of whatever they’re cooked in, which is why fresh snails in garlic butter are such a highly regarded cuisine amongst foodies. 

Other snail products include snail broth or snail soup and dried snail crackers or noodles.

Outside of Europe, other cuisines have their own way of serving this delicious mollusk as a dish:

• In Indonesia, snails are fried as satay, which is a dish known as “satay kakul”.”
• In Greece, when cooking Cretan cuisine, snails are boiled in white wine with bay leaves, celery, and shallots. Then the snails are coated with flour and fried in rosemary and vinegar.
• In Nagaland, India, freshwater snails are prepared with axone (soybean) and pork meat, then cooked in broth with herbs. Locally this dish is called “hamok.”
• In Moroccan cuisine, snails are cooked in hot water in a jar together with spices and herbs. This dish is a popular street food called “Ghlal.”

What should I look for when buying snails at the grocery store?

You’ll find fresh snails in the seafood section of your grocery store. 

When shopping for fresh snails, ask at your fresh seafood counter for snails that have already been cultivated for sale, i.e. snails that are at least a week from the water. 

Snails can also be bought pre-cooked and canned for convenience, or you can also buy them frozen.

If you are looking to have your groceries delivered, you can easily shop for fresh snails via Instacart. After adding a product to your cart, use the “Instructions” option to notify your Instacart shopper about any preferences or specific directions on how to choose the best products. Shop for snails.

How to store snails

Once you have bought them, keep fresh snails refrigerated between 2°C to 6°C for around 2 days. Generally, it is recommended to use fresh snails as soon as you can. As snails can carry parasites and other pathogens, it is best to keep snails separate from other food items. 

Although snails can be frozen, freezing any kind of shelled fish or mollusk can lead to a deterioration in flavor.

Canned, pre-cooked snails are sold in a preserve or broth, so it is best to follow the manufacturer’s storage instructions. 

Get fresh snails delivered

Snails are considered a culinary classic and the classics should be experienced so that you can move on to new cuisine creations.  Expand your culinary horizons by adding snails to your shopping list and save time by ordering your grocery delivery with Instacart.

Grab it now on Instacart:

Straight from France Helix Lucorum Snails (14.1 oz)

Straight from France Snail Shells (48 ct)

Straight from France Helix Lucorum Snails (14.1 oz)

Roland Foods Helix Snails, Escargots, Extra Large (6 each)

Our Home Refreshing Sea Snail Soup (400 g)

Balducci's ESCARGOT GARLIC BUTTER (each)

Our Home Refreshing Sea Snail Soup (400 g)

DEFAULT BRAND Escargot (0.5 oz)

Maitre Jacques Helix Snails, Precooked, Escargot (12 each)

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