Bahamian Conch Fritters

Ingredients

• 400 g conch meat (or firm white fish or clams)
• Juice of 1 lime
• 200 g plain flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1/2 tsp paprika
• 1 small onion, finely diced
• 1/2 green bell pepper, finely diced
• 1/2 red bell pepper, finely diced
• 2 celery stalks, finely diced
• 1 bird pepper or 1/2 scotch bonnet, minced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 egg
• 150 ml milk
• 1 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 litre vegetable oil, for frying
• 150 g mayonnaise
• 2 tbsp ketchup
• 1 tsp hot sauce
• 1 tsp lime juice, for the sauce

Before you cook

• Pound the conch with a mallet until it is limp, then chop it as finely as you can.
• Toss the chopped conch with the lime juice and leave it for 10 minutes.
• Finely dice the onion, both bell peppers and the celery.
• Whisk the flour, baking powder, salt, black pepper and paprika together in a large bowl.
• Beat the egg with the milk and tomato paste.
• Stir the wet mixture into the dry, then fold in the conch, vegetables, hot pepper and garlic to make a thick batter.
• Whisk the mayonnaise, ketchup, hot sauce and lime juice together for the dipping sauce.

Steps

1. Heat the oil in a deep pan to 175 C (350 F).
2. Drop a heaped tablespoon of batter into the oil as a test fritter.
3. Fry the test fritter for 4 minutes until deep golden, then break it open to check the centre is cooked through.
4. Drop in the remaining batter a tablespoon at a time, five or six fritters to a batch.
5. Fry each batch for 4 to 5 minutes, turning them so they colour evenly.
6. Lift the fritters onto a wire rack to drain.
7. Season them with a pinch of salt while they are still hot.
8. Serve straight away with the pink dipping sauce and lime wedges.