Are Pond Snails edible?

[deeleywoman]

ok, i'll be the one to do it...
:barf:

i'm sorry, but when my brother decided to try the local cuisine in france, and the awful, AWFUL smell of his lunch hit the dining room, i wasn't hungry anymore. i was even less hungry when it got to the table. :lipssealedsmilie:

 

[kjr928]

I can't really consider snail meat as "meat". It's more like solidified snot in a shell. But hey, if you like that, then go nuts. Bon Apetite!

:barf:

 

[Thedaniokeeper]

But snails are so cute and cuddly...

 

[bettabrat]

:rofl: solidified snot...that sort of makes me want to gag

 

[James0816]

Sure they are.....just ask any puffer or clown loach. :grinno:

 

[arcanecircle]

tasty snaily

from my experience eating snail is more like eating scallop or clam. I have had ampullariids and viviparids before. it was stir fried in basil and chili peppers.

I think like all aquatic food source it's taste depend on the critter's diet. I find farm raised carp to be disgusting because i can taste the fish meal they feed the carp. and i imagine like clams it's good to keep them in clean fresh water before cooking so they have time to excrete the matters in their guts to reduce the heavy odor and flavor.

 

[Kashta]

For anyone really interested in cultivating snails for consumption, the applesnail.net site has useful info on nutritional value and precautions to take, plus links to several recipes.

http://applesnail.net/content/various/eating_snails.htm

 

[Wycco]

Interesting link, thank you.

Hmmm... quite nutritious.

Values for 100 g fresh apple snail meat
Food energy 83 calories / 347 Joules
Protein 12.2 g
Fat 0.4 g
Carbohydrates 6.6 g
Fiber 0 g
Ash 3.2 g
Phosphor 61 mg
Sodium 40 mg
Potassium 17 mg
Riboflavin 12 mg
Niacin 1.8 mg
Vit C., zinc, copper, manganese, and iodine small amounts

I guess, if you only eat the foot of the snail- it would be impracticle to eat smaller "pest" snails because even if you could get a grinding machine to remove the shells there would be no way to remove the intestines automatically and you'd expend more energy preparing the snail than would be worthwhile.

Remove the body and intestines of the snails (only eat the foot). The internal organs don't taste well; especially the albumen (yolk) gland from the female apple snail has bad taste (the same bad taste as the eggs, a possible protection mechanism against predators).

 

[Deanthoreu]

How come everything gross is said to taste like chicken?

Well,,perhaps not the snails but the...talipia is good on the grill....but i am not cooking oscar...



betta on your pizza anyone?

 

[Squawkbert]

You're supposed to feed 'em cornstarch for a few days before cooking them (cleans the nasty stuff out of the GI tract), and if they're rubbery, you've over cooked them.