Seafood
Conch
Also called queen conch, lambi, Strombus gigas, Aliger gigas
The white foot muscle of a large Caribbean sea snail. Dense, chewy and sweet, it is eaten raw in salad, pounded and fried, or stewed until it gives up.
Origin
The shallow banks of the Bahamas, the Turks and Caicos, Belize and the wider Caribbean. Sold frozen elsewhere, usually already cleaned.
Flavour
Clean, sweet and faintly briny, closer to clam than to squid. Raw it is crunchy; cooked quickly it is firm; cooked long it goes soft.
How it is made
The snail is knocked out of its shell, skinned, and the dark skin and viscera trimmed away to leave the white meat.
How to use it
Dice it raw with lime and onion, pound it thin and fry it, or pressure-cook it for stews. There is no middle ground: either cook it under four minutes or over forty.
Storage
Fresh conch keeps one day in the fridge on ice. Frozen it keeps months and loses little; thaw it in the fridge overnight.
Recipes using it
Conch salad
Raw conch diced fine with onion, pepper, tomato and chilli, cured for ten minutes in lime and orange juice. The Bahamian national snack.
EasyMedium heat
Cracked conch
Conch pounded thin, dipped in seasoned flour and fried until golden. Served with lime, hot sauce and peas n rice on the side.
Medium
