Escargots Recipe

Preheat oven

Preheat oven to 200°C (400°F). Position a rack in the middle of the oven.

Drain the escargots from their can or jar and rinse them briefly under cold water. Pat dry with paper towels. Set aside.

Make garlic-parsley butter

In a medium bowl, combine the softened unsalted butter, finely chopped parsley, minced shallot, minced garlic, lemon zest, dry white wine, salt, freshly ground black pepper, and (if using) Pernod. Mix thoroughly until smooth and homogenous. Taste and adjust salt or lemon zest as needed.

Reserve about 1 tablespoon of the garlic-parsley butter for finishing/toasting the bread.

If you have an escargot plate or individual ovenproof shells, spoon roughly 1/2 tablespoon of garlic-parsley butter into each indentation or shell. Place one escargot into each well on top of the butter, then add another 1/2 tablespoon of butter on top of the snail so it is well surrounded by butter. If you don't have shells, use small ovenproof ramekins or a shallow baking dish; distribute snails evenly and cover with the butter.

Optionally, scatter slices of toasted baguette on a baking sheet and brush them with the reserved garlic-parsley butter.

Bake

Transfer the escargot plate or baking dish to the preheated oven. Bake for 8–10 minutes, until the butter is bubbling and the tops are lightly golden and aromatic. If using bread, bake for 4–6 minutes just to warm and lightly brown.

Remove from oven carefully. If you used a bed of coarse sea salt, transfer the escargot plate onto the salt to stabilize it for serving.

Garnish each portion with a small parsley sprig. Serve immediately with toasted baguette slices to spoon up the garlic butter.