Discover the traditional recipe of Alsatian-style snails, simmered in Alsace white wine with smoked bacon and parsley butter.

Dish type: Hot starter
Service: Brasserie – Winstub – Traditional restaurant
Number of servings: 6
Level: Intermediate

Country: France
Region: Alsace
Official status: STG (traditional regional culinary heritage, not protected)
Creator: Oral tradition – recipes documented since 1842 (Marguerite Spoerlin, La Cuisinière Alsacienne)
Codified recipe: No
Specifications: Alsace white wine required, long or slow cooking, presence of butter and herbs
Certification body: Alsatian culinary heritage (unofficial)

Main cooking methods: Simmering, oven gratin
Key techniques: Sweating, deglazing, mounting with butter, emulsifying, gratinating
Typical ingredients: Burgundy snails, Alsace white wine (Riesling or Pinot Blanc), smoked bacon, butter, garlic, parsley
Technical note: Strain the broth and mount with butter for a velvety sauce

Necessary utensils: Heavy-bottomed pot or pan, saucepan, fine sieve or chinois, gratin dish or cassolette, skimmer, snail tongs, chef’s knife, wooden spatula

Quantities and yield:

• Cooked snails: 600 g (~72 pieces)

• Alsace white wine: 30 cl

• Smoked bacon: 150 g

• Butter: 200 g

• Shallots: 80 g

• Garlic: 10 g

• Parsley: 20 g

• Thyme, bay leaf

• Fine salt, white pepper

• Yield: 6 servings

• Scaling: multiply each quantity by the number of servings ÷ 6

Time:

• Preparation: 30–35 min

• Cooking: 45–50 min

• Rest: 10 min

Preparation steps

1. Mise en place

   • Drain and rinse the snails.

   • Cut the bacon into uniform pieces.

   • Finely chop shallots, garlic, and parsley.

   • Prepare aromatic herbs (thyme, bay leaf, bouquet garni).

   • Measure the white wine.

   • Gather utensils and dishes.

2. Aromatic preparation

   • Melt 40 g butter in the pan.

   • Sweat the bacon 3–4 min without browning.

   • Add the shallots until translucent.

   • Add garlic, sweat 1 min more, season lightly with salt and pepper.

3. Deglazing and reduction

   • Pour 15 cl of white wine, scraping the bottom of the pan.

   • Reduce by half over medium heat to concentrate flavors.

4. Main cooking

   • Add drained snails and bouquet garni.

   • Simmer gently 30 min (90–95 °C / 194–203 °F), stirring occasionally.

   • Adjust sauce consistency if necessary; it should remain glossy and velvety.

5. Finishing and plating

   • Remove the bouquet garni.

   • Mount the sauce with butter, adjust seasoning.

   • Place snails in shells, cassolette, or on toasted bread.

   • Generously coat with sauce, sprinkle with parsley, and add caramelized bacon.

   • Optional gratin: 8–10 min at 200 °C / 390 °F.

   • Serve immediately with toasted bread.

Tips and variations

• Strain the sauce for a smoother texture.

• Avoid overcooking the snails; they should remain tender.

• Regional variations: Riesling with toast (Mulhouse), creamy with mushrooms (Obernai), Pinot Blanc with grilled bacon (Colmar).

• Contemporary versions: sautéed snails, mini-cassolettes with mushroom or parsley espuma.

• Vegetarian alternatives: whelks, mussels, stuffed mushrooms, marinated tofu.

Service

• Temperature: Serve very hot to keep the sauce glossy and velvety.

• Presentation: Cassolette, toast, or family-style dish with generous sauce.

• Garnish: Toasted bread or croutons.

• Beverages: Dry Riesling, Pinot Blanc, Sylvaner, or apple cider for non-alcoholic options.

Nutritional values (1 serving)

• Energy: ~420 kcal

• Fat: 34 g

• Carbohydrates: 6 g

• Protein: 18 g

• Fiber: 1 g

Allergens: Mollusks, milk, sulfites

Culinary glossary

• Mounting with butter: Gradually incorporate cold butter off the heat to achieve a velvety texture.

• Sweating: Cook aromatics gently without browning to release flavors.

• Deglazing: Add liquid to dissolve caramelized bits and concentrate flavors.

• Gratinating: Brown under direct heat in the oven.

• Reduction: Evaporate part of the liquid to thicken and concentrate flavor.

• Emulsifying: Combine non-mixable liquids for a smooth, creamy texture.