Heston's Deep Fried Impaled Garlic Butter Snails
By: Ahmad Overton
Published: Wednesday, November 3, 2010 - 6:03pm

Ingredients




For the braised snails
100 grams Roman snails
1 kilogram water
120 grams onions, halved
40 grams split carrots
1/2 garlic bulb (split vertically)
90 grams trimmed leeks, halved
2 celery sticks
2 bay leaves
50 grams rosemary
50 grams parsley
50 grams thyme
For the garlic butter
100 grams shallots, finely sliced
20 grams garlic, very finely chopped
230 grams butter (at room temperature)
15 grams flat-leaf parsley, chopped
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
To prepare the snails
Thinly sliced lardo
For the tempura batter
50 grams cornflour
50 grams plain flour
2 grams bicarbonate of soda
5 grams salt
120 grams iced water
To serve
Grapeseed or groundnut oil, for deep-frying

Preparation

1 To make the braised snails 2 Rinse the snails in several changes of fresh water until all the grit has been removed. Preheat the oven to 120°C(248F). Place all the remaining ingredients in a flameproof casserole dish and bring to a simmer on the stove. 3 Place the snails in the simmering liquid, cover and cook in the oven for 3–4 hours or until the snails are soft and tender. Remove from the oven and let the snails cool in the liquid in the casserole dish. Remove the snails and trim away the intestine and white sac. Refrigerate the snails until needed. 4 To make the garlic butter 5 In a sauté pan, sweat the shallots and garlic in 30g of the butter. Once softened, leave to cool. 6 Once cool, mix in the chopped parsley and remaining butter. Transfer the garlic butter to a container and refrigerate until needed. 7 To prepare the snails 8 Wearing gloves, rub the garlic butter into the snails so that they are well covered. Allow to set in the fridge. 9 Wrap the buttered snails in the slices of lardo. Keep chilled until needed. 10 To make the tempura batter 11 Combine the dry ingredients in a bowl. Add the iced water and gently incorporate the dry ingredients using chopsticks or a fork, being very careful not to overmix as this will create lumps. Place the bowl of batter over an ice bath to keep it cold. 12 To serve 13 Heat the oil in a deep-fat fryer to 180°C (356F). Dip the prepared snails in the tempura batter and deep-fry until golden brown and crispy. Drain on kitchen paper and impale each snail with a toothpick to serve

About


Impaled garlic butter snails were the slimy starter at Heston's Gothic Feast. Try them yourself with his deep fried recipe.

Comments:
Andie Mitchell

I imagine these are super flavorful. I'm a lover of anything with garlic and butter. I may get courageous and make these soon!