Conch fritters

Ingredients

Conch

• 500 gcleaned conch meat
• juice of 2 limes
• 1 teaspoonsalt

Batter

• 300 gplain flour
• 2 teaspoonsbaking powder
• 2eggs
• about 250 ml milk or water
• 1onion, finely chopped
• 1green pepper, finely chopped
• 2celery sticks, finely chopped
• 3garlic cloves, crushed
• 1goat pepper, finely chopped
• 1 tablespoontomato paste
• 1 teaspoonsalt
• 1 teaspoonblack pepper
• a handful of thyme leaves

To fry

• oil, for deep frying

Pink dipping sauce

• 150 mlmayonnaise
• 4 tablespoonsketchup
• 1 tablespoonhot pepper sauce
• juice of half a lime
• 1 teaspoonWorcestershire sauce

Directions

1. Trim away all of the dark parts. Peel off the tough outer skin. Rinse it thoroughly under cold water. Rub it with lime juice and salt. Rinse it well again afterwards. Lay the conch meat on a board. Beat it with a heavy meat mallet. Work it over its whole surface.
2. Turn it and beat the other side. Do not skip this or shorten it. Chop the tenderised conch very finely. Aim for pieces about three millimetres. Chop the onion, pepper and celery very finely. They must be as small as the conch. Chop the fresh thyme leaves finely. It is extremely hot indeed to taste.
3. Put the flour and baking powder in a bowl. Add the salt and black pepper. Beat the eggs together with the milk. Add them to the flour gradually. Whisk it into a smooth thick batter.
4. Add the tomato paste and stir it through. Add the chopped conch to the batter. Add all the chopped vegetables. Add the crushed garlic and thyme. Fold everything through thoroughly. It should be thick and hold its shape. Add more flour if it seems loose.
5. Add a little milk if it is too stiff. There should be plenty of conch in every spoonful. Cover it and let it rest for twenty minutes. Frying them needs the right heat.
6. Pour oil into a deep pan to seven centimetres. Never fill a pan more than halfway with oil. Heat the oil to about 175C for frying. A drop of batter should sizzle up at once. Drop spoonfuls of batter into the oil. Do not crowd the pan at any point.
7. Fry them for about four minutes. Turn them over as they colour. They should be deep golden and puffed. Break one open from the first batch. The inside should be cooked right through. Lift them onto kitchen paper to drain. Mix the mayonnaise and ketchup together.
8. Add the hot pepper sauce and lime juice. Add the Worcestershire sauce as well. Stir it until it is evenly pink. Taste it and adjust the heat to suit. Serving them is done hot with the sauce. Pile them into a basket or bowl. Serve the pink sauce alongside for dipping. Cold beer is the fixed accompaniment.

Technique

• Queen conch is listed on CITES Appendix Two and Bahamian stocks have declined markedly over decades, which researchers have documented in detail.
• Bahamian rules require a properly flared shell lip, since that flare marks a breeding adult and conch taken before it have never bred.
• The pink dipping sauce of mayonnaise, ketchup and hot pepper is as expected with the fritters as the fritters themselves.

Substitutions

• Where conch is unavailable or the fishery is closed, chopped clams, squid or firm white fish work in the same batter.
• Cleaned frozen conch is sold in Caribbean shops and works well.

Variations

• Some cooks add more tomato paste for a deeper pink batter.
• A version with more goat pepper is made for those who want heat.
• Cracked conch, battered and fried in whole pieces, is the other great Bahamian conch dish.

History

Chopped conch in batter, deep fried and dipped in a pink sauce of ketchup and hot pepper, the standard Bahamian bar snack.

Frequently asked questions

What is Conch fritters?

Conch fritters is a snack from Bahamas: battered conch balls with spicy dipping sauce. Chopped conch in batter, deep fried and dipped in a pink sauce of ketchup and hot pepper, the standard Bahamian bar snack.

How long does Conch fritters take to make?

Conch fritters takes 40 minutes of preparation and 20 minutes of cooking. The recipe makes about 30 fritters. It is rated medium to make.

What can I substitute in Conch fritters?

Yes, within limits. Where conch is unavailable or the fishery is closed, chopped clams, squid or firm white fish work in the same batter. Cleaned frozen conch is sold in Caribbean shops and works well.

What is the most important thing to get right in Conch fritters?

Turn it and beat the other side. Do not skip this or shorten it. Chop the tenderised conch very finely. Aim for pieces about three millimetres. Chop the onion, pepper and celery very finely. They must be as small as the conch. Chop the fresh thyme leaves finely. It is extremely hot indeed to taste.