Classic French Escargot with Parsley Garlic Butter

Why You'll Love this Recipe

• Super simple to make
• The flavors are wonderfully buttery and garlicky!
• A beautifully elegant and impressive classic dish!
• The Burgundy snails used in escargot are so easy to find now!
• This is a great appetizer or first course for any fancy meal or special occasions.

Classic French Escargot

The French classic dish of snails in a buttery garlic parsley sauce are a delicacy and very popular in certain parts of France. However, they are also eaten in many places around Europe and Asia as well. The snail as a food source is NOT, however, French! Eating snails dates back thousands of years in areas near modern-day Spain. But in French cuisine, especially fine dining, escargot has been adopted, perfected and popularized. Today, France is still the world's largest consumer of these land snails (land mollusks). 

The most classic preparation in France is with garlic, butter and parsley as the backbone and is known as Escargots à la Bourguignonne (or Burgundy Snails). 

Ingredients

Here is what you need to make this recipe:

• Canned Escargot (Snails): The best and most popular are technically called helix pomatia. But if you see canned snails from Burgundy (Bourgogne), that is what you want to use in this recipe. We use THIS brand. They come pre-cooked and ready to use in this dish.
• Dry White Wine: We love French chardonnay in this recipe - especially from Burgundy. We marinate the snails in white wine and use a bit more mixed into the parsley garlic butter mixture.
• Unsalted Butter: Unsalted European-style butter is our go-to for this recipe. 
• Garlic: Fresh garlic is the quintessential pairing with escargot prepared this way.
• Parsley: Another classic ingredient in escargot, fresh parsley brightens up the earthy flavor of the snails.
• Sea Salt: We like to use sea salt here (which is why we always use unsalted butter).
• Black Pepper: Just a touch is nice in this dish.
• Shallot: A little finely diced shallot complements the garlic and snails perfectly.
• Lemon Zest: The final ingredient in the compound butter, lemon zest is a natural here and brightens up the dish with a zesty lemon flavor.
• Lemon Juice: Just a spritz of lemon juice squeezed onto the snails for serving adds the perfect final touch.
• Bread: A French baguette or other crusty bread is a perfect accompaniment to this dish as you'll want to sop up every last drop of the butter sauce that the snails cook in.

See recipe card below for quantities.

Substitutions

Here are a couple of common substitutions for the ingredients in this recipe:

• Parsley: Although not classic at all, you could replace parsley with cilantro.
• Shallot: You can use a sweet onion instead of shallot.
• Lemon: Limes can be used instead of lemons if desired.

How to Make Classic French Escargot

These are so simple to make and come together very quickly. The snails are marinated in white wine for a bit and then put into the classic escargot dish. Then they're topped with the compound butter and baked until bubbly! Of course they're served with good bread to sop up the butter!

Step-by-Step Instructions

Marinate the Snails

• Remove the snails from the can and rinse well. Transfer to a medium bowl with 1 cup of the dry white wine. Let the snails sit for 15 minutes while you prepare the compound butter.

Make the Compound Butter

• Finely chop the parsley. Mix the softened butter with the remaining tablespoon of wine, minced garlic, chopped parsley, sea salt, pepper, chopped shallots and lemon zest. 

Assemble the Escargot in the Baking Dishes

• Preheat your oven to 400°F. Remove the snails from the wine and place one in each hole in the escargot plate. Cover each snail completely with the compound butter. 

Bake, Finish and Serve

• Place the escargot plates on a sheet tray and place in the pre-heated oven until the butter is bubbling. This should take about 12 minutes. Carefully remove the tray and dishes from the oven, give the snails a little lemon spritz and let them cool for a minute as they will be very hot. Serve with a fresh baguette!

Variations

Here are a couple ways to change up this recipe:

• You can use a light red wine in place of the white wine for a different flavor profile. Serve a light dry red wine instead of a white wine with this version of escargot.
• You could do this recipe with shucked small clams, mussels, shrimp or even mushrooms if you don't want to use snails!
• Cut a small round of puff pastry and place on top of each snail for a fun presentation.

Storage

How to store leftover escargot:

• Store in a covered airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

How to reheat leftover escargot:

• To reheat leftover escargot, simply warm in a 325°F oven until heated through - about 15 minutes.

Can you freeze escargot?

Yes! This dish is perfect to make ahead and freeze. Simply prepare the snails following the recipe and place in the dishes with the compound butter. Cover tightly with plastic wrap then foil and freeze for up to 3 months. Defrost in the fridge overnight before cooking when ready to enjoy.

Troubleshooting

The compound butter can be a bit difficult to put on the snails to prepare for the oven as it sticks to everything! You can use a butter knife dipped in hot water to help with this.

What to serve with Classic French Escargot

The two things we love to serve with French Escargot are a baguette (almost mandatory!), and a nice, simple salad with a lemon dressing. But you could also cook the snails and put them, along with their sauce, with pasta for a delicious main course.

What Wines To Drink with Escargot

For this preparation of escargot, the most classic pairing is a white Burgundy, which is Chardonnay from the Burgundy region of France. But many crisp white wines work as well, such as pinot grigio or sauvignon blanc. Try with an Italian Frascati as well for something interesting!