Greek snails are not only popular in Greece and its nearby islands, but also in several parts of the world and are also available in supermarkets. In the supermarkets, Greek snails are placed alive with the vegetables that are partly refrigerated. Out of all the organisms on this earth, snails are the only living organism sold as foodstuff in the supermarkets. They can be eaten boiled with vinegar added, or cooked alive in a casserole with red tomatoes, potatoes and squashes.
Preparation:
First, make sure that all the snails are alive. Wash them carefully in cold water and place them back into the shells in a big container. Then pour hot water over them.
Add a little teaspoon of salt on the water and boil for 20 minutes until the foam appears on the water. Then drain the water from the container and wash the snails with cold water repeatedly up to 3-4 times.
In a pan, heat olive oil to its boiling point, use half-cup olive oil per pound of snails.
Fry for 10 minutes carefully with tongs to avoid spattering of oil, then add a grated onion.
Stir-fry on medium heat for few minutes. Then add a pound of peeled tomatoes for single pound of snails.
Cover and boil for 30 minutes until the tomatoes are tender. Then pour 1/4 cup of red wine vinegar for each pound of snails.
Remove from the heat and stir continuously for few minutes. Place the snails on different plates and add little fried potatoes and baby zucchini salad.
Serve the hot cooked snails with bread and wine as a first course.
