Conch Fritters With Coconut-Lime-Curry Dipping Sauce

FloridaNative's Note:

Raw conch is tough as a rubber tire, so it must be tenderized before it is consumed. Today, most seafood markets tenderize and grind conch for the consumer. The conch does not come from the Florida Keys waters anymore, however. This large sea snail joined the U.S. endangered species list in 1985. Conch is imported from the Bahamas, Belize, or the Turks and Caicos Islands. NOTE: Prep time does not include overnight refrigeration. From "The Florida Keys Cookbook" and posted for ZWT5.

• Total Time: 50 mins
• Prep Time: 20 mins
• Cook Time: 30 mins

Ingredients:

Serves: 8-12

Yield: 3.0 dozen f ...

FOR THE FRITTERS

• 1 cup chopped green bell pepper
• ½ cup chopped red bell pepper
• 1 ½ cups chopped yellow onions
• 12 ounces tenderized ground conch (fresh or frozen and thawed)
• ½ teaspoon celery salt
• ½ teaspoon sea salt
• 1 teaspoon bottled hot sauce
• 2 eggs
• 1 ½ cups baking mix (such as Bisquick)
• fresh ground black pepper
• finely chopped fresh parsley (optional for garnish)
• canola oil (for deep frying)

FOR THE SAUCE

• 5 tablespoons fresh key lime juice
• 2⁄3; cup sweet cream of coconut (such as Coco Lopez or Coco Casa)
• 1 ½ teaspoons curry powder
• ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
• ¼ teaspoon sea salt
• ½ cup minced scallion

Directions:

1. ONE DAY AHEAD:
2. Place bell peppers, onions, and conch in a food processor; pulse until finely chopped.
3. Add celery salt, salt, hot sauce, and eggs. Pulse until smooth.
4. Add baking mix (Bisquick), 1/2 cup at a time, pulsing until smooth and well mixed.
5. Add black pepper to taste.
6. Transfer to a covered container and refrigerate overnight.
7. FOR THE SAUCE:.
8. Place key lime juice, cream of coconut, curry powder, cayenne pepper and salt in a small bowl. Whisk to combine.
9. Add scallions and stir with a spoon to combine. Cover and refrigerate until needed.
10. FRY THE FRITTERS:.
11. Place oil in a deep fryer to manufacturer's recommended level and preheat to 375°F Using a small ice-cream type scoop, drop balls of conch fritter batter into hot oil.
12. Work in small batches; do not crowd fryer. When fritters are golden brown on all sides, remove with tongs and drain on paper toweling.
13. Sprinkle hot fritters with finely chopped fresh parsley if using.
14. Place dipping sauce in a small bowl in the middle of a serving platter. Surround with conch fritters and enjoy!
15. SERVINGS: 1 serving = 3 to 4 fritters.
16. SUBSTITUTION: You can substitute fresh Persian lime juice if you don't have fresh key lime juice, but FRESH juice is essential in this recipe.

Reviews

[evelyn/athens]

Never having used conch before, I wasn't really sure what to expect. I was pleasantly surprised it doesn't taste all that much different from octopus, and the texture appears to be pretty similar (although I've never had ground octopus). These patties were very flavouful, with the onions adding a sweetness and the peppers colour. Instead of celery salt, I used jerk seasoning. We all really liked the dipping sauce - and I got to use my Jamaican yellow curry that is a remnant of Toolie's hosted RSC. Different. I'm glad to have tried it.