Foods of England - Snails in Sauce

Snails in Sauce

Fish – Shellfish
Historic

Snails stewed in veal-broth, with cloves, Sack, Mace, and served with a white sauce of cream, butter and nutmeg, or else on sippets with a brown sauce of gravy, Claret, nutmeg and lemon (Bradley 1728)

From ‘Edible mollusks of Great Britain and Ireland, with recipes for cooking them’ (1867)

Original Receipt in ‘The Country Housewife and Lady’s Director‘ by Prof. R Bradley, 1728 (Bradley 1728)

Snails, to be dressed with white Sauce.
Take the large German Snail, early in the Morning; put them, shells and all, into Salt and Water, for a few Hours, till they purge themselves: then put them into fresh Salt and Water, for a few Hours more, and repeat that a third time, then give them a gentle boil in Water and. Salt, in their Shells, and you may then pick them out, with a Pin, as you do Perwinkles, Then stew them in Veal-Broth, with some Cloves, a little Sack, some Mace, and a little Salt. Stew these a little while, and then pour over them this Sauce thicken’d with Cream and Butter, and grate some Nutmeg upon the Sauce, and serve them hot.

Snails, to be drest with brown Sauce.
Take the same sort of Snail, as above mention’d, and clean it as before; then give them one turn, when they are flour’d, in some hot Butter, or Lard, and drain them. Then pour into the Pan, when, the Liquor is out, some strong Gravey, a Glass of Claret, some Nutmeg, some Spices, and a little Salt, with a little Lemon-Peel grated; and when the Sauce is strong enough, then strain the Sauce, and thicken it with burnt Butter. Then serve them up hot, with a Garnish of sliced Lemon, and some Sippits fry’d in Lard.

See: Snails

‘The edible mollusks of Great Britain and Ireland, with recipes for cooking them’ (1867)

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