Conch Fritters (Bahamas)

Known as a delicacy in various parts of the world, Bahamian conch fritters are small bites of local queen conch meat fried in a savoury batter with a combination of peppery seasonings (hot goat pepper, hot sauce, and sea salt) and commonly used vegetables in the Bahamian diet, which grow abundantly among their islands like onion, sweet green pepper, and tomato. For those who have never tried conch before, you might be curious to know what conch tastes like? This high-protein shellfish can be sweet and mild in flavour, if prepared right, but you might find it similar in taste and texture to calamari with no fishy-taste. Conch fritters is a great introductory way to eat conch- after all, who can resist a deep-fried fritter?

Conch Fritters:
1½ cups (2 medium) conch
1 large hot pepper
1 medium onion
3 cups flour
3 tsp. baking powder
½ medium green sweet pepper
salt to taste
1 cup water
1 Tbsp. tomato paste
1 egg
1 tsp. hot sauce

Calypso Sauce:
½ cup ketchup
2 tsp. mayonnaise
1 tsp. hot sauce
1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce

Stir calypso sauce ingredients in bowl until smooth. Chill until fritters are ready.

Pass onion, sweet pepper, and conch through a meat grinder or food processor.

In large bowl, combine all ingredients to form a batter. The batter should be thick enough to drop from a spoon. If it is too runny add a little more flour to stiffen it. If it is too stiff add a little more water to soften it. Make sure cooking oil is hot (about 350°F if using deep fat fryer), using a spoon (tsp. or tablespoon depending on desired size) drop batter into hot oil – fritters should float to the surface and bob around like apples in a barrel of water. Use a long fork to turn fritter so that they are golden brown on all sides.

Remove from oil and place in a container lined with absorbent paper to soak up any excess oil.

Chef’s Notes: Conch fritter batter can be frozen and used latter. To reuse, remove from freezer and let stand at room temperature for 1 hour or until defrosted. Pour into large bowl and add 2 tsp. of baking powder, mix until baking powder is blended in. If the consistency is off, adjust with flour or water as needed. Please note that you may need to add seasoning to correct flavour also.

Serving Suggestions: Plate conch fritters alongside 2 oz of chilled calypso sauce for dipping. Use toothpicks for handling of the hot fritter and dunk your fritter into the sauce for cooling, complimentary flavours.