Conch Stew. You find it in the Caribbean. Like it?

I've traveled, on dive trips, to a number of Caribbean spots. And, I've sampled conch chowder or conch stew in a lot of places. Some were good, very good. Others...well, they were a little watered-down to suit me, often tasting no better than canned clam chowder.

So, I set about trying to come up with one that I like. It's been a while since I last made any, mainly because I couldn't find any conch meat. The Winn-Dixie stores, at one time, kept some in the seafood section. Always had to buy it in 5-pound frozen blocks. That was ok, 'cause I could separate the individual pieces as needed. With a little help from a sturdy knife and some delicate "prying".

Thanks to my boss and friend, I ended up with another block of the meat. He got it on a trip to Florida. If you try the recipe, I can't emphasize enough : DO NOT OVERCOOK the meat.

Conch Stew

aka Conch Chowder

12-14 ounces cleaned conch meat

6-ounces claw crab meat

1-medium onion (I like onions, so I use 2, sometimes 3)

6-carrots

6-stalks of celery

8-ounces Clamato juice (tomato juice or V-8 works well)

1-can diced tomatoes

4-cloves of garlic

1-small potato

Salt, pepper, Thyme, crushed red pepper, cayenne pepper, fila

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Dice carrots, celery and onion. Finely chop garlic. Cut the potato into small cubes. Add to stock pot. Add tomatoes. Add Clamato juice to cover half of the ingredients , then add enough water to completely cover the rest. Add desired amount of seasonings, keeping in mind that you can add more during the cooking and tasting process.

Bring to boil, reduce heat, then cover. Cook for 20 minutes on slow simmer, until the carrots are fork tender. Taste for seasoning. Add, as needed and desired. It should have a moderate amount of “heat”, or a lot if you’re from Texas, or like to brag that “the hotter, the better”.  Remember your guests.

Cut conch into chunks. Chop but do not mince, using a food processor or chopper. Add conch and crab meat to the pot. Reduce heat to lowest setting. Cover.

Ready to eat in 30 minutes.

Warning. Once the conch is added, do NOT overcook. Conch will become rubbery, and will have the consistency of rubber bands if cooked too long.

Having trouble finding conch? You can, of course, substitute clams. I often add crayfish (the tail meat) to my stew. You can go another step and include wheels of Kielbasa sausage, perhaps some rice, and develop your own version of gumbo.

Always remember to add the seafood in the last step, after reducing the heat to almost zero.

Like it with some crunch? Add the onions 10 minutes before adding the seafood.

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Hope you enjoy.