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? :D
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: :D :D :D Yah mon. :S-