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Thursday 11 February 2010

What's a Conch Fritter?

Sarasota, Florida

Conch (kŏngk, kŏnch, kôngk), common name for certain marine gastropod mollusks having a heavy, spiral shell, the whorls of which overlap each other. A conch fritter is a fritter made from a conch. You can cook a conch (after removing the shell) by leaving it in lemon juice or in lime juice overnight. Or...you can make it into fritters. Removing a conch from it's shell is beyond the scope of this article.

You can find lots of conchs in 10 to 15 feet of saltwater grass flats where the ocean is clear, blue and warm. The Cayman Islands are my recommendation for conch hunting.



Conch Fritter Preparation:
2 cups freshly bruised conch, cleaned and diced
3 teaspoons tomato paste
1-1/2 Tablespoons flour
2 onions, diced
1 Bahamian sweet pepper, diced
2 stalks of celery, chopped
3 Tablespoons baking powder
3-4 cups vegetable oil
Hot Peppers and salt to taste

Combine all ingredients (except oil) in a large bowl. Blend well.
Heat oil in deep frying pan or pot until water dropped into oil sizzles.
Drop batter by the Tablespoonful into hot oil. Fry until brown.
Drain on paper towels and serve. Makes 40 fritters.



Like oysters, You can get very sick from eating raw conch. "Scorching" conch in lemon juice may not remove excessive bacteria.




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