Recipes around the world: Bahamian Conch Stew
For today’s post we’ll be going over how to make Conch stew. This recipe is very popular in the Caribbean, in particular in regions like the Bahamas and the Cayman Islands. We’ll be reviewing how to make the Bahamian variation of this dish, and to help us I’m bringing in Bahamian native, Ellie, who has a great food blog where she shares her cooking and travel experience. Be sure to check her out, and also show her some love on her Facebook page. Without further ado, let’s get to it:
Ingredients:
- 2 large conchs, cleaned
- 1/2 large onion, diced
- 1 1/2 tomato, diced
- 4 potatoes, chopped
- 2 limes
- 1 1/2 tsp thyme
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 1/2 tbsp ketchup
- pepper sauce or red pepper flakes to taste
- 3 tbsp salt
- 2 tsp pepper
- 7 cups water
Process:
1) Bruise the conch. (In layman’s terms, this means you need to use a mallet or other object to tenderize the conch. If times are tough, you can always use an empty beer bottle. Thankfully, we had plenty of those lying around the apartment in Nevis…)
2) Place the conch in a pot of water. The water should just cover the conch. Boil for 20–30 minutes. (If the conch has been bruised thoroughly, then you can boil it for closer to 20 minutes than 30 minutes.)
3) In a large pot, add the oil and allow to heat up for a minute.
4) Add the flour and stir to make a roux. Let the roux simmer for about 5 minutes. Don’t let the roux burn!
5) Add the tomatoes, onions, thyme, pepper sauce/red pepper flakes, salt and pepper. Stir. (It may seem like a lot of salt, but this recipe makes a large pot of stew.) Stir and let simmer for a minute or two.
6) Add the potatoes, tomato paste and ketchup. Stir and let simmer for about 15 minutes.
7) Meanwhile, take the conch out of the water and cut it into chunks.
8) Add the water, conch and the juice of 1 lime to the large pot.
7) Meanwhile, take the conch out of the water and cut it into chunks.
8) Add the water, conch and the juice of 1 lime to the large pot.
9) Cover the pot and simmer until the potatoes are done. For us, this was ~30 minutes but you know how you like your potatoes.
10) Taste and add more salt and pepper if necessary.
Serve with bread, johhnycake, and/or a wedge of lime. The lime can be squeezed over the stew before eating, if desired.
Enjoy!
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