Conch fritters are traditionally served as an appetizer throughout the South Florida, Key West, and the Bahamas. It is also street food in many parts of the Caribbean. Different places such as Puerto Rico and Belize. Conch fritters over time have become apart of the Floribbean cuisine due to its approximity to the Caribbean. Enjoy the recipe below! Serve em up as they are great for summers and any tropical-themed events!
Image courtesy of Pinterest via thewilliambrownproject
Ingredients
- 1 cup chopped fresh and cleaned conch (or if you don’t have conch, shrimp can be substituted)
- 1 quart vegetable oil (for frying)
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 egg (lightly beaten)
- ½ cup milk
- Ground cayenne pepper (optional, to taste)
- Salt (optional, to taste)
- Black pepper, to taste
- ¼ cup white onion (finely chopped)
- ¼ cup red bell pepper (finely chopped)
- ¼ cup green bell pepper (finely chopped)
- 1 garlic clove (finely chopped)
Preparation Instructions
1. Heat the oil in large pot or set your deep fryer to 365° F.
2. In a regular sized bowl, mix the flour, egg and milk.
3. Add in all of the conch meat, seasonings and vegetables, and mix together.
4. Take a tablespoon and scoop up rounds of batter (make sure you got pieces of conch and other ingredience in each scoop) and drop them into the hot oil.
Try not to over crowd the pan. About 6 per batch.
5. Let it fry for about 2 minutes each or until golden brown.
6. Remove and drain on paper towels.
7. If you have left over seasoning, sprinkle with salt.
8. Serve with sauce (recipe below) and lemon and/or lime wedges. Enjoy!
Cautions!
– Do not over fry because the conch can become very chewy!
Bonus Caribbean Dipping Sauce (makes about 1 ½ cups)
½ cup commercially prepared salsa (i.e. Tostitos, Pace Picante, or homemade salsa)
1 cup real mayonnaise
1 teaspoon garlic powder
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper or to taste
½ teaspoon dried basil, crushed
½ teaspoon salt, or to taste
¼ teaspoon fresh-ground black pepper, or to taste.
Preparation Instructions
1. In a blender, puree the salsa.
2. Place in a regular bowl.
3. Add the remaining ingredients and mix well.
4. Cover and refrigerate for a few hours hours (approximately 2).
5. Before serving, stir well.
*Recipes adapted from Brown Eyed Baker, Food.com, and sauce from Sun Sentinel.
A piece of Orlando, one bite at a time... 