CONCH FRITTERS

I could not let my visit to the Bahamas go by without trying Conch Fritters. I just may have ordered them more than once. I had a bit of conch meat leftover that I did not use in my Conch Chowder, so I decided to see if I could make fritters just as good as the ones I had in the Bahamas! Hubby thought mine were even better. The recipe is super easy…just be sure to follow my directions on how to get the conch meat super tenderized. This will create the most perfect, tender fritter! This recipe will produce about a dozen generous conch fritters.

Question is…where can I purchase conch meat? If you are local to Charlotte, head on over to The Carolina Meat & Fish Co. They usually always have some in stock, frozen. Takes just a little bit of time to thaw. Not local, you can still order online from the market by clicking here and they will ship right out to you! Conch is likely one of the most shipped items out of the market.

Start by preparing the conch meat. Rinse and drain. Lay on a flat surface and tenderize with a meat tenderizer. Cut into pieces, then place in a chopper. Pulse until the conch meat is minced. Place minced conch in a bowl and cover with the buttermilk. Reserve in fridge while you prepare the remaining ingredients.

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Start heating up enough oil in a cast iron pan to deep fry the fritters. I love using this deep cast iron pan from Lodge…click here! Oil should be 350 degrees for frying. Mince the bell pepper, celery and onion. I used this Chop N Prep Chef from Tupperware. Just a few pulls of the string and the vegetables are chopped so finely. Perfect for this recipe. Click here! Place the minced vegetables in a medium-sized bowl. Add in the flour, baking powder, cayenne, Bayou Catch (you can substitute with Old Bay), kosher salt and pepper.

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Stir to combine. Add in the beaten egg and conch. For the conch, just use a slotted spoon to remove from the bowl with the buttermilk. You do not have to rinse the buttermilk off. Just drain as much of the buttermilk as you can. Stir to combine. Add in the beer or soda water. Mix just enough to create a batter.

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Using a scoop, or two spoons, drop the batter into the hot oil. I used this cookie scoop. Click here to purchase! Flip as they are frying to ensure that all sides are nice and brown.

Once browned, remove and place on paper towels to drain any excess grease. You will need to fry in batches. Season with kosher salt. As the remaining fritters are frying, prepare the Sriracha Mayo dipping sauce. Serve and ENJOY!

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