Conch Fritters - Ethnic Foods R Us

Conch Fritters are easier to make if you have a good quality blender or, better yet, a food processor If you have either one of those, you can process the conch into a puree with ease. If not, you will need to chop and mince the meat and then pulverize it into a smooth pulp in a mortar and pestle.

Conch Fritters are a very popular dish in Belize, and once you’ve tried them, my bet is they will be on your list of favorites, too.

(Photo Attributed to Author: PETER LUNGILE CHIDOTHE)

Conch Fritters Recipe-

Ingredients:

1 lb. cleaned and filleted conch meat
1 oz. sweet green or red bell pepper
1 fresh habañero pepper
1 oz. fresh ripe tomato
1 oz. white or yellow onion
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. black pepper
1 cup water, more or less, as needed
1 tbsp. lime juice
vegetable oil, for deep frying

Directions:

Put the bell pepper, habañero pepper, onion and tomato in a food processor, and start to process on medium-high speed; add in the conch meat a little at a time until it is all incorporated. Then turn the speed up to high and process until completely smooth. Pour the mixture into a large mixing bowl.
Sieve together the flour, black pepper, salt and baking powder, and then add and stir this mixture into the bowl with the processed mixture.
Add and stir in the lime juice, and only as much water as needed until you have a malleable, but still a relatively firm consistency.
Pour vegetable oil in a deep skillet over high flame, enough to completely cover the fritters as they cook.
Drop large spoonfuls into the heated oil, and deep fry, turning once, until they turn a in deep, rich, golden brown. Big spoonfuls are for appetizer sized servings – use a ladle for larger, main dish size.
As they get done, remove from the oil with a slotted spoon and place do dry and drain on paper towels.
Serve your Conch Fritters with cocktail and/or tarter sauce, and sections of lime.