We had conch fritters in Nassau at a popular local diner and we didn't get too excited about it. It didn't have much taste, or maybe it was overpowered by the grease. I'd guess the texture was close to abalone but tougher (chewier).

Sorry, I haven't ever had abalone...so I am not sure what it tastes like.

Dare I say--chicken?!

The meat is tough, by nature. It's prepared by beating it savagely, to tenderize it. When it's good, it's very, very good. The best I ever had was done by the ladies of the AME Church in Key West, back when Monroe County used to have a county Fair in KW. And a very close second-best was done by a friend in the Bahamas. She done well. I still have fond memories...

Best as sashimi or sushi. Crisp texture with a wonderful sweet flavor.

Tastes alot like a clam, and done well is wonderful. In the Bahamas you can get it cracked (sort of filet fried), stewed, fritters, salad and burgers.

Conch fritters are much like crabcakes made with rubberbands... bon apetit !

yes, clams.

Yep chewy clams. I love the rubber band analogy!! LOL

I like them in salad the best. The conch fritters I had were more like big old round hushpuppies...hard to find the conch in there!

I would definately say conch fritters would not be the best introduction. Conch salad, IMO, is amazing! To me its texture is similar to calamari-with a very mild taste.

Conch is delicious whether cooked as a chowder, as fritters to be dipped in a sauce, or cracked (fried). I miss not having it available.

The comparison to abalone is prettyb good. Conch is wonderful! The KFC in Nassau had KF conch! :-: delicious, esp. with hot sauce.

Ya gotta try conch ceviche.

Ohhhh.... you are bad, No Name!!!

Here's a recipe for conch ceviche. Ready in an hour!

http://seafood.allrecipes.com/az/85511.asp

Trim and peel the conch, and cut into small cubes. Place into a large bowl with the water, lemon juice, cilantro, onion, pineapple, tomato and salt. Let stand at room temperature for 1 hour before serving.

mmm..mmm. Conch chowder is sooo good too...yes, consistency is like a clam..If I recall correctly, abalone was much softer..enjoy !

It's too tough for me in all the ways I've had it done. Rubber band texture and less taste than clams.

We always had conch salad as part of the Italian Christmas Eve fish dinner and there was so much else better, I always left the conch to others.

Those in the Carribean say its good for many things.

I've had conch many ways but my fondest memory of conch was when I had it in Negril in a conch curry. Delish!

conch ceviche - so yummy! I still remember when we went on a snorkel trip with Capt. Marvin in Cayman and one of our stops was to dive for conch shells (back when they were available year round). Brought up these huge shells, Capt. Marvin cleaned out the conch and then when we did our lunch break, had fresh conch ceviche on saltines on this beautiful beach. Heavenly!

Yum...that conch ceviche recipe looks wonderful--absolutely perfect for a sultry summer evening.

I had grilled conch once as an appetizer in the Carribean and it was like eating very thick rubber bands. Is that because it was undercooked? Or overcooked?

I have had it since then in a chowder and it was very nice.

My personal belief is that it is very much like escargot -- both have almost no taste at all and have very similar texture. But both are wonderful if they are given enough flavor in other methods --particularly lots of garlic and butter for escargot or lots of spicy tomato sauce in conch chowder or other spices for conch what-evers.

I defy anyone to eat plain unseasoned escargot or conch and rave about their wonderful flavor.

I liken conch to clams also.

We were in the Abacos at Green Turtle and at at The Red Rooster and ordered conch. The cook left to go buy it, came back, beat it (it's tough, you must) and then deep fried.

OMG it was good. No flavor? Tons of flavor.

Chewy.

GoTravel, I think you misunderstood me. If they did indeed fry your conch without any seasonings or seasoned bread crumbs or batter or anything else, then I personally wouldn't think it would have much flavor. But I've never heard of doing conch without lots of seasonings.

I LOVE CONCH FRITTERS. So much it's worth yellin' about.

I agree with the poster who describes it as calamari-textured, but a slightly milder flavor. Fantastic dipped it in cocktail or tartar. Mmmm. Then again, I am a deep-fry aficionado.

Deep fried conch fritters taste like...

Alligator fritters
Hush puppies

Deep fried cornmeal balls with bits of something (conch) inside -

I've ordered them in Key West but would just as soon have hush puppies

clams or calamari come to mind

Let me restate, we didn't eat fritters but fried conch.

I agree Neopolitan, they need to be seasoned.

GoT, the OP says.... and Anthony is discussing conch fritters...and they look sooooo good!

Hence, my reference to conch fritters.

No, I agree.

How could anyone tell what conch fritters are? They look just like hush puppies.

GoTravel, so you did Green Turtle. My wife and I stayed at the New Plymouth Inn way back in '95? Great time. And did you try a Goombay Smash at the Blue Bee?

Ohhhh....Goombay Smash. This thread is making me hungry.

When we came back from the Bahamas, we self-servingly taught the bartender at our favorite dive how to make a Goombay Smash. Yum! (And he only charged $2.50!)

There is a place in Key West that makes really good fried conch po' boys.
I with I could remember the name of the place. It was an open air bar/restaurant and was at a marina.
As indicated by others, conch can be very tough if not cooked correctly but I gotta tell ya, those po' boys at that bar with very cold beer on a beautiful sunny day..........I think I need to make a trip back to Key West again sometime soon.

OMG! Goombay Smash! Now that brings back drunken memories.

We sailed into Green Turtle on a Beneteau 38 from Singer Island/Lake Worth. We had run out of beer by then and because beer was so expensive, like $50 per case, the locals showed us how to make Goombay Smash.

Well Goombay wasn't the only thing that stayed smashed.

That and Kalik beer. Oh the memories!

Those that said it tasted like rubber bands have never had it done right!

I am on a multi-year mission to have as much conch prepared as many different ways as possible. All are best eaten on a Caribbean beach with a cold foo foo drink containing rum readily available.

I still have not yet decided which is my favorite as I love them all. My husband has been thinking of having a T shirt made for me that says "The Conch Queen."

There is cracked, steamed, boiled, roti'd, frittered, ceviched, pattied, chowdered.
There is curried, vinegared, brown sauced, butter sauced, hot sauced.

And yes jacketwatch, I can assure you that conch has other properties that are beneficial in addition to the taste!

Samshack. I think it is The Half Shell Raw Bar that you are thinking of. They serve all types of poboys as I remember. We like the Grouper one.

Can you say Scungilli?
I loved the Conch chowder we had at that tiny lunch place, right by the bridge to Paradise Island in Nassau.
I think I like dishes like Conch more when I am in a great location than if I were at home, know what I mean?

You're not kidding about the price of beer on the family islands of the Bahamas. In 1995, a six-pack of American rotgut went for $ 10 and a six-pack of Guinness went for $ 12. Rum was much cheaper for the bang.

Diana: Yah mon.

jacket,

Luckily, my husband likes it too. :">