A classic of the Brittany coast: whelks (sea snails) poached in an aromatic white wine court-bouillon, served warm with homemade mayonnaise and crusty country bread. Simple, fresh seaside flavor.
Ingredients
- 2000 g fresh whelks (sea snails)
- 2 l water
- 250 ml dry white wine (such as Muscadet)
- 1 piece yellow onion
- 1 piece carrot
- 1 piece celery stalk
- 2 cloves garlic cloves
- 1 piece bouquet garni (thyme, bay leaf, parsley)
- 1 tsp black peppercorns
- 1 tbsp fine salt
- 250 g Homemade mayonnaise
- 1 piece country bread or baguette
- 100 g unsalted butter (room temperature)
Method
- Prepare the court-bouillon: in a large stockpot, combine the water and dry white wine. Add the peeled and halved onion, peeled and sliced carrot, chopped celery stalk, crushed garlic cloves, bouquet garni, black peppercorns, and salt. Bring to a boil over high heat.
- Meanwhile, rinse the whelks under cold running water, scrubbing them vigorously to remove any sand and grit. Discard any shells that are open or do not close when touched.
- Once the court-bouillon is boiling, add the whelks. Return to a boil, then reduce the heat to maintain a steady simmer. Cook for exactly 10 to 12 minutes: to test for doneness, pierce a whelk with a pick; the operculum (hard trapdoor) should come off easily.
- Turn off the heat and let the whelks cool in the broth for 10 minutes to keep them tender. Drain thoroughly in a colander.
- Extract the whelk meat using a wooden skewer or seafood pick: pull the meat from the shell, discarding the hard operculum and the dark digestive tract if desired. Arrange the whelk meat on a serving platter.
- Make the homemade mayonnaise following the quick recipe, or use quality store-bought mayonnaise.
- Serve the whelks warm alongside the homemade mayonnaise and slices of bread spread with unsalted butter.
Nutrition
Per serving
- Energy
- 572.8 kcal
- Protein
- 35.83 g
- Carbohydrate
- 25.35 g
- Fat
- 32 g
- Fibre
- 2.79 g
- Calcium
- 41.81 mg
- Iron
- 1.1 mg
- Magnesium
- 21.72 mg
