Caracóis - Portuguese Snails

Posted on May 2, 2008
Filed Under Food

The French call them Escargot, we call them Caracóis - they’re not the same type of snail, nor do we bathe them in butter like the French, but they’re equally delicious, and right now they’re available in restaurants across the country.

I’m pretty sure every culture around the globe has some sort of food that makes some folks cringe, and snails might just be one of those. But rest assured there’s a ‘process’ to get these slippery fellows ready for the pot. Here in the Algarve and likely around the country, snails undergo a ‘drying process’ which means keeping them in burlap bags with herbs for approximately 15 days, only then are they properly dry and ready to eat.

Caracois Olhao

I’ve enjoyed Caracóis over the years but had never taken a stab at making them myself. However a woman at the market in Olhao, convinced me she had “the best Caracóis in the Algarve” and before I knew it, I was heading home with a bag full of these little crawlers.

Rather than guess what I should do next, I went to a good source who gave me the “way we do it here” recipe, but I was warned - they need to be VERY VERY well washed. And when they’re cooking, the water easily boils up, making a mess of the entire stove….I also think I heard a slight tone in that voice….”this is a country recipe…do you know what your getting yourself into???” But, I figured, I’m boiling these little guys alive, if the worst that could happen is dirty stove, I’m game…

The preparation started off well, the Caracóis needed to sit in water for about 30 min., so I did as instructed. What I didn’t expect was that these very empty looking shells actually had very active snails, and it was a good thing I checked on them, when I did. After soaking for 10 min, they had come out of hibernation and almost taken over the kitchen, with some motoring at an incredible speed out of the pot…I wondered if they knew their fate?

After wrestling them back in the pot and 3 good rinses, they were clean as a whistle and…well…gulp…ready for cooking. A friend of mine joked, that I might get soft hearted at this point and not go through with it, but I was on a mission to prove I could cook a rustic country recipe, so off to the stove they went!

Once cooked, we realized there were way too many Caracóis, so we invited some friends to bail us out of this snacking emergency, they were over in lightening speed and the Caracóis disappeared just as fast. How did they turn out… Muito boms! And the stove? no mess at all, I just used a bitter pot to compensate for any expected over flow…maybe I have a few tricks to teach the country folks!

If you’re not shy of trying something new and exploring the different, give Caracóis a try, and in keeping with tradition, serve with crusty buttered bread and ice cold beer.

Portuguese Caracois

Caracóis

1k Snails
4 Cloves Garlic - Crushed
1/2 Lemon Peel
1 Stalk fresh rosemary
2 Stalks of Dried Oregano - with stalk and leaves
1 Hot Chili Pepper
Salt

Soak the sails in water just covering them for approximately 30min, this should remove the crusty covering on the opening of the shell

Once all the snails have come out of their shell, wash them in cold water until the water drains clear, this should take 2-3 good washings, and shells no longer feel slippery

Place in large pot with water just covering snails, add lemon peel, herbs, chili-pepper. *Important:Do not add salt as snails will retreat back into their shells from the salt

Let snails cook uncovered on medium heat, for about 20 minutes. A large bubble of foam will rise while cooking, this is normal and will subside when snails are finally cooked. You can use a larger pot to compensate for the bubbling over

As soon as snails look partially cooked add salt, cook for another 10 minutes and their done. *Note: I noticed I had to use a lot of salt at the end to get a more balanced flavor, you should really taste the herbs, if they taste a little bland add a little more salt until the herb flavours start to come out.

Well, looks like the snail Lady was honest, as her snails are good, and timing couldn’t have been better, as I just discovered its tradition to have Caracóis here on May 1st in celebration of Portuguese labour day. Serve Caracóis on large tray or individual bowls with an accompanying empty bowl for shells. To get the snails out of their shells you can use a large headed pin or tooth pick. This is finger food, so be sure to also include lots of napkins!

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Comments

4 Responses to “Caracóis - Portuguese Snails”

Angela Vieira on May 4th, 2008 10:44 am

Hi, I enjoyed a lot your blog, I’m glad to watch your interest in show our best. I use to visit Algarve and I love it. Nice work.
Sulésio on May 6th, 2008 4:15 pm

You forgot the small potatos (new potatos not from last year), let’s say 300g is enough for 1k of snails (also known as caracoleta), boiled directly with the snails, just delicius!! keep up the good work..
Eddie on May 7th, 2008 3:19 pm

Ola! Thank you for the kind words Angela its really beautiful here so it makes my job a a lot easier :o)

Yes, the little potatoes, like they use in Tavira. Thanks Sulésio!
Suck it Up and do What the Portuguese do, Eat Caracois! on July 30th, 2008 1:36 pm

[...] you are interested in cooking up some caracois for yourself, here is a recipe provided for us by the Algarve [...]