Snails Ragu On Toast Recipe, With Parsley Gremolata & Parmesan
By Ross Brown
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Easy
If you’re looking for something a little bit daring, snails on toast is your secret weapon. It’s not just a dish - it’s a conversation starter!
Think of this as a refined take on comfort food. Rich and hearty snail ragu, slowly simmered with red wine and a hint of tomato, spread over grilled sourdough that’s got just the right amount of crunch.
The gremolata? That’s the finishing touch that’ll wake up all those deep, savoury flavours with a burst of lemon and fresh parsley.
The joy of this dish is in embracing the unexpected. It’s like putting on a slightly outrageous outfit: wear it with confidence, and suddenly, everyone else wishes they’d thought of it first...!
Ingredients for snail on toast
For the snail ragu
- 50ml extra virgin olive oil
- 1 medium onion
- 1 stick of celery
- 1 carrot
- 2 cloves of garlic
- 2 tbsp tomato puree
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 2 bay leaves
- 100ml red wine
- 200ml passata
- 1 tin cooked snails (2 dozen snails)
- 200ml beef stock
- Sea salt & pepper to taste
For the gremolata
- 30ml extra virgin olive oil
- 20g chopped parsley
- ½ lemon zest
- ½ lemon juiced
- ¼ grated clove of garlic
- Salt & pepper to taste
For the garnish
- 2 slices of sourdough
- 20g grated parmesan
How to make snails on toast
- Dice onion, carrot and celery into 0.5cm dice and cook gently in a medium-sized saucepan with 50 ml of extra virgin olive oil.
- Season with 1 pinch of sea salt and a good twist of black pepper and cook gently without colouring the vegetables for 3 minutes until they have started to soften. Crush and finely chop the garlic, add to the pan and cook for a further 2 minutes.
- Add the tomato puree, turn up to a medium heat and cook out for 2 minutes. Add the dried oregano and bay leaves. Deglaze the pan with the red wine and reduce down by ¾.
- Drain and dice snails into roughly 1cm pieces, then add to the pan followed by the passata and beef stock. Season with a pinch of salt and pepper, then bring to a simmer. Turn down the heat to a gentle simmer and allow to cook for 20 minutes until the sauce has thickened. Check the seasoning and keep warm until needed.
- To make the gremolata, finely chop the parsley and mix with olive oil. Zest and juice ½ the lemon and add to the mix. Follow with the finely grated garlic. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- When the ragu and gremolata are ready, cut a 1-inch thick slice of sourdough. Drizzle with olive oil and cook in a grill pan until both sides are crispy and have some nice grill marks.
- To plate the dish, take half of the mix on top of each grilled sourdough. Liberally grate the parmesan with a fine grater on top of the snail ragu. Drizzle a tablespoon of the gremolata and season with fresh ground black pepper. Enjoy!
About the author
Ross is the Sous Chef sales manager. Before joining Sous Chef he spent over a decade working as a professional chef in the UK and abroad. Ross is passionate about all things food! And has tried, tasted, and developed countless recipes over the course of his cooking career. Ross finds the greatest joy in cooking for friends and family - especially when he's firing up his beloved wood-fired pizza oven.
