Bahamian Conch Fritters

Ahhh, island food. One of the greatest things about returning home for a visit is that I get to eat the amazing food that I grew up with. As my mom and I were debating our next meal, the subject of conch fritters came up.

Conch fritters are savory, fried balls of dough that contain chopped conch, some chopped veggies and spices. Yessss. Conch fritters. That settled it. Conch fritters were being made.

Some of you may not know what a conch is. Everyone's seen a conch shell, right? Well, the conch is the mollusk that lives in that shell. Check out some pics below:

- 2 Conchs, au natural (I never said they were pretty.)

- 2 Conchs, skinned

- 2 Conchs, sinned and bruised

Conch Fritters

• 2 med. sized conchs (skinned, bruised and diced)
• ½ onion (diced)
• 1 stick celery (diced)
• 1 ½ tomatoes (diced)
• 3 tsp. salt (or to taste)
• 1 bird pepper (or half a habanero, if bird pepper is not available)
• 2 tsp. hot sauce
• ½ - ¾ cup ketchup or tomato paste
• ¼ cup thyme
• 2 cups flour
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 1 ¼ cup water

1) In a large bowl, mix everything together except the flour, baking powder, and water.

2) In a smaller bowl, mix together the flour and the baking powder.
3) Add the dry ingredients to the large bowl, then add the water slowly.
4) Pre-heat a pot of oil (vegetable or canola). You will need a few inches of oil.
5) Scoop tablespoons of the batter into the oil. Only fry a few fritters at a time. Fry until golden brown on one side. Turn the dough until the other side of the fritter is also golden brown.

6) Serve hot with sauce below.

Sauce

• ½ cup mayonnaise
• ½ cup ketchup
• 1 tsp. mustard
• 1 tsp. hot sauce

1) Whisk all ingredients together until smooth and creamy.
Last (but certainly not least!), I know that conch is not always readily available. Never fear, though. You can substitute a 15-oz can of corn for the conch. (The can of corn can be somewhere in the 15-oz range, so don't fret if you can't find this exact size of canned corn.) The recipe stays exactly the same, but now you'll end up with some amazing Corn Fritters. Give it a try and I think you'll be deliciously surprised!