Snails - intro

Most snail species - sea, freshwater and land - are edible. Some are considered delicacies, while others are not considered worth bothering with and yet others can be deadly. I am familiar with two each of the land and sea snails. There are two big differences: sea snails have that prominent seafood flavor and land snails can carry dangerous parasites. Neither is readily available in the New Mexico desert.

Pic1 : whelk, cooked
Pic2: seaside periwinkles  

Whelks and periwinkles are mostly cooked and eaten out of hand but there are more elaborate recipes, many of which seem to be similar to the land snail recipes. Whelks and periwinkles can be ordered online. Abalone-type snails and whelks are available online dried and canned.

 

Pic3: live escargot snails
Pic4: live giant African snail

Escargots can be ordered fresh or frozen online. They are also available canned. The African giant snail is an invasive species that has become a plague in Florida. They are a staple food in the Nigerian kitchen, but people in Florida are catching on too.  

 

Sub-categories

recipe page links

Chapter 3.5. Snails