Escargots Recipe

Prepare garlic-parsley butter

Soften the unsalted butter at room temperature or briefly in a low heat microwave (10–15 seconds) until pliable but not melted. In a bowl, combine the softened butter, finely chopped parsley, minced garlic, minced shallot, lemon zest, dry white wine, Dijon mustard (if using), salt, and freshly ground black pepper. Mix thoroughly until homogeneous. Taste and adjust seasoning. Set aside at room temperature.

Prep escargots

If escargots are canned, drain them and pat dry with paper towels. If they are in shells, ensure shells are clean and dry. If using shell-less escargots, you will bake them in a buttered dish or individual escargot plates.

Assemble escargots

Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F). If you have escargot plates, place one snail in each well and spoon about 1 teaspoon of the parsley-garlic butter over each snail (enough so the butter fills the well and covers the snail). For shell-less escargots, spoon a similar amount of butter over each snail in the baking dish and cover with a little extra butter so they are surrounded. For large snails, use up to 1½ teaspoons each. Reserve any extra butter for spreading on the bread.

Bake

Place the escargot plate or baking dish on a sheet pan and bake in the preheated oven for 8–10 minutes, until the butter is bubbling and the garlic is fragrant but not browned. If you like a lightly browned top, switch to broil for 1 minute — watch carefully to avoid burning the garlic.

Finish and serve

Remove from the oven. Let cool for 1 minute. Transfer escargots to a warm serving plate, or serve directly in the escargot plate. Spoon any hot garlic butter from the wells over the snails and garnish with an extra sprinkle of chopped parsley and a small squeeze of lemon if desired. Serve immediately with toasted baguette slices for dipping into the garlic butter.

Slice the baguette on a slight diagonal into 12–16 slices, about 1/2-inch thick. Brush both sides lightly with olive oil.

Toast the slices on a baking sheet in the same oven at 200°C (400°F) for 6–8 minutes, flipping once, until golden and crisp. Alternatively, grill or pan-toast until crisp and slightly charred at the edges.

Optionally rub the warm toasts with a cut garlic clove for extra garlic aroma, then serve alongside the escargots to dip into the parsley-garlic butter.