Snail & Rabbit Stew
VALENCIAN RABBIT & SNAIL STEW
Conejo con Caracoles
PREP 30 min
COOK 1 hr 15 min
TOTAL 1 hr 45 min
SERVES 4
This humble farmhouse stew comes from the eastern coast of Spain, where snails were traditionally gathered after rainstorms. The dish is considered a rustic ancestor to the region's later rice dishes, such as paella.
• olive oil • 2.5–3 lbs. rabbit, cut into 6-8 pieces • salt & pepper • 1 onion, chopped
• 3-4 cloves garlic, minced • 1 tsp sweet paprika • 1 tomato, grated • 1 splash dry white wine or brandy • 4 c. chicken broth • 1 bay leaf • 1 small sprig rosemary • 1 small sprig thyme • 1 can escargot 12-25 snails
Picada: 1 oz. toasted almonds • 1 garlic clove • 1 stale piece of bread • pinch of saffron • 2-3 Tbsp broth from pot to blend
- Brown rabbit in olive oil on all sides. Set aside.
- Sofrito: Add onion & cook 6-8 min. Add garlic and stir for 30 sec. Add paprika and stir for 30 sec.
- Stir in grated tomato cooking 2-3 min. Deglaze pot with wine or brandy.
- Add broth, bay leaf, rosemary, thyme. Return rabbit to pot and simmer for 1 hour.
- Picada: Grind almonds, clove of garlic, stale (or toasted) bread, saffron, with a little broth to make paste.
- After an hour, add well rinsed snails to pot; simmer 10–15 min.
- Stir in picada; simmer 3–5 min until slightly thickened.
- Salt to taste. Rest 5-10 min
*Serve with rustic bread
This recipe was originally featured in the 2026 Worm Moon issue of our monthly creative almanac, the Liminal.
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