Conch Fritters (Cayman Islands)

Cayman Conch Fritters Recipe

Conch: This mollusk, pronounced “conk”, is encased in a beautiful, brightly colored spiral shell. Conch is the second best-known edible sea snail and is widely found throughout the Caribbean. Its meat has a mild, sweet clam-like flavor. When preparing conch soup, stew, salad, ceviche or, best of all, spicy conch fritters, the tough conch flesh is beaten into tender submission before cooking. Conch is sometimes erroneously referred to as whelk, which, though related, is a different species.

Makes 16 – 20 fritters

Ingredients:

*Cleaned Conch meat can be purchased at your local grocer or online.

• 1 cup cleaned conch meat slightly tenderized and then cut up into quarter-inch pieces or use the food processor.
• 1/2 medium yellow onion
• 1/4 green bell pepper
• 1/4 red bell pepper
• 2 sticks celery (optional)
• 2 scotch bonnet peppers (green less hot – yellow & orange are hotter – deseeded) *Optional your choice on heat  *All of the above-chopped fine
• 1 egg
• 1 tbsp fajita or Old Bay seasoning
• ½ tsp basil (optional)
• 1 tsp Cajun seasoning (your taste pref.)
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup of milk or half and half
• Lime wedges (if you don’t do a dipping sauce)

• Vegetable oil (1 ½ to 2 inches in a frying pan) or 1 quart of oil

For a Red Sauce

• ½ cup ketchup
• Juice of 2 lemons or limes
• 3 tbsp. horseradish
• Hot sauce to taste
• Salt to taste
• Fresh ground black pepper to taste
• Or if you can use Sriracha hot Chile ketchup then add horseradish

For a Tartar sauce

Directions

In a food processor or by hand fine chop conch, add onion, peppers, and celery, chopped fine or coarsely

Add remaining ingredients and eggs, and blend. You may need to add milk or half and half to make a soft firm mixture that holds together but not a thick paste.

Heat oil in a deep fat fryer or deep frying pan and drop with a tablespoon golf ball-sized or 1-inch ball size into the oil 365 degrees F (185 degrees C).

Fry until golden and turn balls evenly and then dry drain on a paper towel for a few minutes. Serve with your tartar sauce and lime wedges.

6 fritters for CI$12 with your choice of dipping sauce