In line with the name of this blog, I thought it would be best to start with some exploration of Bahamian food culture.
Today's topic: Conch
So the technical definition is that it’s a tropical marine mollusk. An old classic I read in high school, The Lord of the Flies (by William Golding) featured the conch shell as a majestic symbol of democracy and order… beautiful yet fragile. The famous conch shell is used in The Bahamas to make beautiful jewelry. The pink of the conch shell just exudes this soft and delicately fertile color that is calming yet strong.
Everyone knows about the majestic pink conch shell of the Queen Conch but not many are familiar with the animal that lives within the shell and how it is inextricably intertwined in Bahamian food culture.
The Queen Conch is indigenous to The Bahamas and is a cultural staple even appearing on our coat of arms encompassed by five palm fronds vert.
This symbolizes the rich marine life that is immensely diverse, yet on its own shows how passionately we have integrated conch into our daily cuisine.
I have travelled to different islands in the Caribbean and I have come across it scantly on menus in Grenada where they called it Lambi. I saw it in a restaurant menu in Port-au-Prince as well and know of Jamaican conch curries. However, I find other Caribbean islands that use it tend to make it more into stews or curries. I will take a wild guess that this may be related to supply. The Bahamas has been known for its abundance of conch and hence the abundance of conch specific dishes. Recently, I read an article that noted that overfishing of conch in The Bahamas could lead to its extinction within the next decade. My fingers are crossed that recommendations from the Department of Marine Resources are passed through parliament to put in conch saving policies to preserve this vital symbol of Bahamian food culture.
Now onto my four favorite ways of eating conch:
1) Cracked conch
The conch is beaten which tenderizes the meat. It is then battered, some heavier and other lighter and fried until it reaches this majestic hue of golden brown that I can only liken to a fresh donut brown (creating new colors for the crayon box). The texture consists of a crispy crusty shell with the soft meat of the tenderized conch hidden within. It’s a delicacy that you can only really find in its pure form in The Bahamas as it is a staple dish, tried and tested over generations. My favorite places in Nassau to get this is Bamboo Shack because its close to my house. I must admit this is a fast food version but I love it.
Separate note: You have different versions of it at places like McKenzie's at Potters Cay where you get a real down-home experience. The French fries at McKenzie's are hand-cut fries and the food stall ambience is so alive with the cacophony of loud bystanders, the wafting scents of frying seafood and then the passing of cars. It's like a Viennese outdoor café seating amped up on speed, exciting and unique to the Potter's Cay experience. There is also the Arawak Cay Fish Fry which has a great collection of restaurants (my favorite is Oh Andros where you can get a real sit-down meal). Arawak Cay is generally recommended to tourists because its situated centrally and has an array of options where you can try and taste at your pleasure.
Now back to Bamboo Shack, which is a local chain for Bahamian food. It has become quite a popular chain, even opening a branch in Miami, Florida. I cannot attest to the US branch but in Nassau there is one in my vicinity (eastern part of the island). I feel like there is a branch within a few minutes' drive no matter where you are on the island of New Providence. The beauty of living on an island 21 x 7 miles. It's definitely a guilty pleasure but the chicken and conch combo is just heavenly.
Ordering at Bamboo Shack. You have a variety of different requests you can make. Note that hot sauce is automatically put on your meal so you should specify if you want it or not.
· You can request that the chicken be fried dry.
· You can also specify if you want a breast or thigh snack, the latter being the cheaper option.
· You can request mayo and onions on your snack.
· (these are the main ones that came to my mind)
I personally request a chicken and conch combo, depending how hungry I am with a thigh (hungry) or breast (ravenous). I love fresh bird or goat pepper but I am no fan of hot sauce and I always ask for extra ketchup so that its fully doused (especially with chicken breast so when you open it up you have that extra ketchup for the inner parts of the chicken breast). Now when you receive your meal. I am excited just thinking of that moment.
It’s a brown paper bag with a Styrofoam plate inside and a piece of wax paper acting as a barrier between the fried goodness and the paper bag. The longer you leave it, the more the grease seeps through and you see it imprinted on the paper. Its one of those sights that makes me so anxious if I am driving to the beach to park up and enjoy my meal.
Ohhhhhhhh …... did I mention your fries are soaked in whatever condiments that you requested, but you also get this sweet roll that is so mega soft and at times drenched in the juices of the fried chicken. I know for those fearful of fat this may sound disgusting, but I find it a heavenly break from the clean diets we are always recommended.
This is for another post, but this meal is best accompanied with a bottle or can of Goombay Punch or grape soda. Goombay Punch is a soda that you can only get in The Bahamas and it’s the genius creation of Pineapple soda with the right amount of tang and sweet. I misss it soooooooooo much!!!
Just a side note: Grape Soda in The Bahamas just tastes so much better than anywhere else in the world.
The concept of Cracked has also been applied to various other meats including Lobster, Grouper and Chicken.
2) Conch salad
So as not to scare off the healthy food foodies with my almost pornographic description of Cracked Conch, there is also a healthy version of conch.
So when this delicious mollusk isn’t fried and smothered (as per your preference) in ketchup or mayo and onions and hot sauce or sprinkled with lime, you can have it in a refreshing salad version. The salad can also be prepared in a variety of ways such as:
Your Standard Conch Salad which is where they take the conch (fresh from the shell in some cases) and clean it and chop it into bite size pieces. Then the master knife wielders ("conch salad masters") chop up the green peppers, tomatoes, pepper, onions and covered with squeezes of lime juice (or sour orange juice) as well as goat pepper which helps tenderize the meat and add a level of spice.
In recent years, the Tropical Conch Salad has become a modern take on a classic and features the inclusion of fruit such as pineapple and mango and sometimes doused in the squeeze of the juice of a fresh orange. I have tried it and find it quite nice, however the staple conch salad with "plenty pepper" and "some bubby" is still my go to. The bubby refers to the black grey parts of the conch meat which are a bit chewier but offer a diverse texture to the white meat of the conch. There is also the orange part that is slightly less chewy than the dark grey bubby yet offers more texture diversity juxtaposed with the white conch meat.
There is also the option to get a Conch Bubby Salad, it’s something I find locals are keener on and for the more seasoned conch salad connoisseur. The bubby salad could take the form of a conch salad with just conch bubby or the conch bubby cut up with onion and lime. I like a good bubby salad every once in a while.
The final version would be Scorched Conch when you don’t want all those veggies and just want your conch beaten and in its pure form drenched in lime, pepper and decked with sliced onions. This is for the more purist of conch connoisseurs.
My favorite Conch Salad spot is Dino's Gourmet Conch Salad which is at the entrance of Gambier Village (a bit out on the western side of the island). The view right across the ocean and roadside stop off appeal is priceless, plus this is apparently where the Tropical Conch Salad originates.
3) Stew Conch
If you want conch in a different presentation, you can have it in a stew. The conch meat when stewed takes on a slight sweetness. In this dish, the conch is beaten like done in the Crack Conch to tenderize the meat for cooking. The typical Bahamian stew starts with the browning of flour and then the concoction of the stew develops from basic spices such as thyme, onions and tomatoes. Stews are accompanied by Johnny Cake (another post just on its own). This is a great hangover breakfast and the Bahamian stew concept (which I find unique to Bahamian cuisine) is also amazingly delicious with fish. *drooling*
4) Conch Fritters
How could I almost forget the best appetizer that is a must to be ordered at every meal that you consume in The Bahamas…. Conch Fritters. Yes, you have your every day fish fritters, crab fritters and veggie fritters, but Conch Fritters are a whole new level. Now, there are many touristy places that have destroyed this and others that have taken on new innovations such as coconut accents in the dipping sauce.
Please note: you are always looking for conchy Conch Fritters. Don’t let them skimp on the conch having you end up with mostly just batter. The conch fritter batter is baking powder based which you can make in advance (without the baking powder) and then when you are ready to fry it, you can take the batter out and add your baking powder and fry away. They are fried to golden perfect and should be light and airy yet when you bite into it, have not just conch essence but pieces of conch. I like my fritters with pepper and thyme also helps to bring out the conch flavor. The dipping sauce is a ketchup and mayo mix that balances the fried morsels with a creamy cool.
There are a plethora of other ways that conch can be prepared, for breakfast Conch and Grits, Conch Souse or Steam Conch. Health-consciously, there is Grilled Conch in foil with veggies. You can also go to Royal's Takeaway and get it in Conch Burger form with cheese and a side of fries.
When in The Bahamas, I recommend you taste your way through every form of Conch to really appreciate the versatility of this marine mollusk and the pride and love with which Bahamian prepare it.
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