Vanishing Conch in the Florida Keys

Vanishing Conch in the Florida Keys

When Carolyn and I drove through the Keys in the late 70s, we saw roadside stands all over these domestic tropical islands selling conch shells. We ate conch, right out of the Gulf or the Atlantic, several times.

But conch is no longer harvested in the Keys, at least not legally (and maybe not much illegally, as it's in short supply). Most of the conch that's served in restaurants in the Keys comes from farms in the Turks and Caicos or Bahamas.

That's rather odd, as the Keys, and Key West in particular, are part of the self-proclaimed Conch Republic.

Residents (at least those who've been living in the Keys seven years or more) refer to themselves as "Conchs."

The prototypical Key West domicile is called a Conch House (wood, front porch, little ornamentation, sometimes a metal roof…which may have inspired the title for Tennessee Williams' Cat on a Hot Tin Roof – the playwright was a Conch)

But there's no conch in restaurants in the Keys unless it comes from elsewhere.

On the first night of a press tour in the Keys [fla-keys.com], I had conch fritters at The Conch House [http://www.keylargoconchhouse.com/] in Key Largo. The fritters were pretty good. It's hard to discern, though, the flavor of the seafood when it's minced up, mixed with a lot of breading, and drizzled with mustard sauce.

The last night I was in Key West, I ate a conch fritters as well as steak at a place called Hogfish Bar and Grill [http://www.hogfishbar.com/]. Here are the fritters:



Hogfish is owned by Bobbie Mongelli, who said, quite candidly, "conch basically has no taste." However, when it's covered in a seasoned breading and lightly fried, it's pretty good. Not great, but good. As a steak, it's more apparent what this meat is actually like. Here's the steak:



So what's it actually like?

Conch It has a taste somewhat like scallop or shrimp, but it lacks the distinctive seafood flavors of eithers. The last time I had conch, or scungilli, was at Umberto's Clam House [http://www.umbertosclamhouse.com/] in Lower Manhattan where, in the early 70s, between seafood courses, Joey Gallo died of lead poisoning. My scungilli was covered with tasty red sauce, which helped a lot.

Conch is also rather tender/tough: it can be cut with a fork in some places, but in others, you'll struggle with a knife.

"You have to pound it," said Mongelli, "and then fry it very soon after that, or it tightens up and gets tough."

Here's what raw conch looks like:



I've never seen conch on a local Chicagoland menu. I can't imagine why a restaurant would make much of an effort to get it in. Mongelli is right: it doesn't taste like much. In the Keys, though, conch is undeniably a sentimental favorite.

"Whenever I go out to eat," said Mongelli,"if they have it on the menu, conch is what I order."

It's not what I would always order when I go out, but when I go to the Keys, I order conch every chance I get. Seems like the patriotic thing to do in the Conch Republic.

David Hammond wrote:Vanishing Conch in the Florida Keys
I've never seen conch on a local Chicagoland menu. I can't imagine why a restaurant would make much of an effort to get it in.

DDD spot, The Shanty in Wadsworth has it on the menu. Made a trip there about a year and half ago tried many of the other menu items when we were there but not the Conch. We made a return trip but ended up next door at Captain Porky's.

http://www.theshantyrestaurant.com/menu/dinner/

The Shanty
38985 North RT 41
Wadsworth, IL 60083
847-336-262

RobK wrote:

David Hammond wrote:Vanishing Conch in the Florida Keys
I've never seen conch on a local Chicagoland menu. I can't imagine why a restaurant would make much of an effort to get it in.

DDD spot, The Shanty in Wadsworth has it on the menu. Made a trip there about a year and half ago tried many of the other menu items when we were there but not the Conch. We made a return trip but ended up next door at Captain Porky's.

http://www.theshantyrestaurant.com/menu/dinner/

The Shanty
38985 North RT 41
Wadsworth, IL 60083
847-336-262

Thanks for the intel, RobK.

The menu description is a little odd:

"NEW ORLEANS BLACKENED CONCH FILET. 8-ounce filet mignon rubbed in Cajun spices flamed with fresh conch meat, cilantro, tomato and red onion."

So it sounds like they sprinkle conch meat on top of a piece of beef. With the Cajun spices, cilantro, etc., discerning the presence of the mildly flavored conch in this mix would probably be impossible. Interesting, though, that they put it on the menu at all (though I guarantee it is not "fresh" in any meaningful sense of the word).

Checking around, it looks like you can get frozen conch for about $10/lb (shipping not included): http://www.consumermeats.com/details.php?id=2233.

RobK wrote:

David Hammond wrote:Vanishing Conch in the Florida Keys
I've never seen conch on a local Chicagoland menu. I can't imagine why a restaurant would make much of an effort to get it in.

DDD spot, The Shanty in Wadsworth has it on the menu. Made a trip there about a year and half ago tried many of the other menu items when we were there but not the Conch. We made a return trip but ended up next door at Captain Porky's.

http://www.theshantyrestaurant.com/menu/dinner/

The Shanty
38985 North RT 41
Wadsworth, IL 60083
847-336-262

Agostino's still serves it as well in traditional red sauce style as well as salad.
It is odd though that what used to be a staple at Italian seafood places has seen such a decline.

Joe, right, yes, Italian restaurants are probably the most likely local places for conch/scungilli. Looks like Carmine's has it on the menu, too, though googling around it seems not, as you say, very common.

I wouldn't call it flavorless any more than I would calamari -- a closer cousin than scallop or shrimp. However, the most frequent preparation, the conch fritter, usually only has minced bits of conch in a tasty batter. It's a seafood hush puppy, don't fool yourself, but it's fun food.

JoelF wrote:I wouldn't call it flavorless any more than I would calamari -- a closer cousin than scallop or shrimp. However, the most frequent preparation, the conch fritter, usually only has minced bits of conch in a tasty batter. It's a seafood hush puppy, don't fool yourself, but it's fun food.

Well, we do differ on the relative intensity of flavor in conch and calamari (the latter seems more flavorful and tender), but as mentioned in my initial post, I do agree that in the fritter, the conch is usually and virtually undetectable.

RobK wrote:

David Hammond wrote:Vanishing Conch in the Florida Keys
I've never seen conch on a local Chicagoland menu. I can't imagine why a restaurant would make much of an effort to get it in.

DDD spot, The Shanty in Wadsworth has it on the menu. Made a trip there about a year and half ago tried many of the other menu items when we were there but not the Conch. We made a return trip but ended up next door at Captain Porky's.

http://www.theshantyrestaurant.com/menu/dinner/

The Shanty
38985 North RT 41
Wadsworth, IL 60083
847-336-262

For those curious, here are 19 other local places that have had conch on their menu at least at some point. I've had the version at Garifuna Flava. In addition to these, I've had conch at Yusho and Iyanze (both misses, on this particular item).

Santander wrote:

RobK wrote:

David Hammond wrote:Vanishing Conch in the Florida Keys
I've never seen conch on a local Chicagoland menu. I can't imagine why a restaurant would make much of an effort to get it in.

DDD spot, The Shanty in Wadsworth has it on the menu. Made a trip there about a year and half ago tried many of the other menu items when we were there but not the Conch. We made a return trip but ended up next door at Captain Porky's.

http://www.theshantyrestaurant.com/menu/dinner/

The Shanty
38985 North RT 41
Wadsworth, IL 60083
847-336-262

For those curious, here are 19 other local places that have had conch on their menu at least at some point. I've had the version at Garifuna Flava. In addition to these, I've had conch at Yusho and Iyanze (both misses, on this particular item).

Thanks, Matt -- but did you mean to include a link? Couldn't find the list you referenced.

I'd really be interested in hearing about local conch preparations that were not a "miss." Got to be one out there, right?

Sorry. I blame Quick Editor.

http://chicago.menupages.com/restaurant ... -cuisines/

"Conch" is as provided to / scanned by MenuPages, so this doesn't always translate to the actual biological organism you have in mind, but it turns up at least some reliable hits.

Santander wrote:Sorry. I blame Quick Editor.

http://chicago.menupages.com/restaurant ... -cuisines/

"Conch" is as provided to / scanned by MenuPages, so this doesn't always translate to the actual biological organism you have in mind, but it turns up at least some reliable hits.

I just called Borinquen, first on the list, and asked about the "conch salad" on their menu. They didn't seem to know what I was talking about. I'm guessing that some of the conch items on these menus are, as you suggest, perhaps more aspirational than actual.

Hammond, I'm not quite comfortable with your equation of scungilli and conch. I think they're related, but different. I've seen scungilli in lots of fishmongers on Long Island, and they were midgets compared to the conchs I saw on St. Kitts. NYT has an interesting article here: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/19/dinin ... .html?_r=0 [damn iPad keyboard!]

Geo

Geo wrote:Hammond, I'm not quite comfortable with your equation of scungilli and conch. I think they're related, but different. I've seen scungilli in lots of fishmongers on Long Island, and they were midgets compared to the conchs I saw on St. Kitts. NYT has an interesting article here: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/19/dinin ... .html?_r=0 [damn iPad keyboard!]

Geo

Apparently, the confusion is widespread. Check http://almostitalian.com/scungilli/. Note cans labeled "Conch/Sliced Scungilli."

A number of sources make a distinction between what are apparently different species of seafood, but many don't. Confusing, yes.

Santander wrote:I've had the version at Garifuna Flava.

I even posted a picture of Garifuna Flava's conch fritter here. I also tried their conch soup but didn't show a photo. Here's a plate of fritters (and panades) as well as the soup.





It's a shame this place doesn't get more attention.

David Hammond wrote:

Santander wrote:Sorry. I blame Quick Editor.

http://chicago.menupages.com/restaurant ... -cuisines/

"Conch" is as provided to / scanned by MenuPages, so this doesn't always translate to the actual biological organism you have in mind, but it turns up at least some reliable hits.

I just called Borinquen, first on the list, and asked about the "conch salad" on their menu. They didn't seem to know what I was talking about. I'm guessing that some of the conch items on these menus are, as you suggest, perhaps more aspirational than actual.

The menus on Menupages Chicago are old; some are very old. The (current?) menu on Borinquen's website no longer lists conch salad (ensalada de carrucho).

Peter, regarding "Conch fritters were very well prepared though perhaps a bit light on the conch."

I've yet to encounter a conch fritter that was heavy on conch, though I'd like to eat something like that someday.

Even when I was in Key West in 2005, conch was limited to stuff imported from Nassau. I had conch fritters, but they were far from being my most memorable meal there. Had to have them, of course -- and would have them again, just because. But the only thing that did make them memorable at all was that I was eating them in Key West.

I did have conch soup on a trip to Nassau, eons ago, and as has been observed by others, conch doesn't have a big taste. It just has the advantage of being available there. Like flying fish in Barbados. You eat it because it's what they have.

Hammond, have you tried conch chowder? Ir was common in the Bahamas when I visited in the 1960s (Spring Break). Is it popular in the Keys also?

As I recall the chowder was tomato-based and on the spicy side. I do remember the first time I had it. I was having lunch with a group of fellow students including two smart ass guys (but then all college guys are smart asses) who recommended the conch chowder.

I did so and enjoyed it. I remember them exchanging odd glances while I scarfed it down. Much later I figured out the chowder was too hot for their bland taste buds, and they thought they were pulling a prank on me.

George R wrote:Hammond, have you tried conch chowder? Ir was common in the Bahamas when I visited in the 1960s (Spring Break). Is it popular in the Keys also?

As I recall the chowder was tomato-based and on the spicy side. I do remember the first time I had it. I was having lunch with a group of fellow students including two smart ass guys (but then all college guys are smart asses) who recommended the conch chowder.

I did so and enjoyed it. I remember them exchanging odd glances while I scarfed it down. Much later I figured out the chowder was too hot for their bland taste buds, and they thought they were pulling a prank on me.

I may have had conch chowder (maybe even in the Bahamas), but if I did, it didn't dent my memory. I believe I did see it on the menu at Hogfish on Key West but I didn't get it (footnote: Mongelli also owns a pizza place -- Roostica -- down the street; he painted it burnt orange; he was inspired by the exterior paint on Spacca Napoli in Chicago).

I like the sound of conch chowder (seems maybe a little like Manhattan clam chowder, only spicier).

David Hammond wrote: I like the sound of conch chowder (seems maybe a little like Manhattan clam chowder, only spicier).

Here is a link to Norman Van Aken's conch chowder recipe:

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/my-c ... index.html

It appears to be a typical recipe, although I don't remember tasting fennel in any of the versions that I have consumed. I have tried chowder and fritters on many trips to the Keys-- dating back to the 70's when conch was still locally sourced. My opinion of conch is that it is basically the "tofu" of the seafood world, it takes on the taste of the ingredients surrounding it.

David Hammond wrote:I like the sound of conch chowder (seems maybe a little like Manhattan clam chowder, only spicier).

That's exactly it. Sub conch for the clams.

stevez wrote:

David Hammond wrote:I like the sound of conch chowder (seems maybe a little like Manhattan clam chowder, only spicier).

That's exactly it. Sub conch for the clams.

Agreed. I almost did describe it as similar to Manhattan chowder, which I enjoy. There are many recipes on the net for conch chowder.

like most I first had conch in a conch fritter.

The two types of steak conch I've had have been fantastic, well worth the effort to seek out.

I disagree that conch is near flavorless.

Fried conch steak at Garcia's is always cooked perfectly as is all the seafood. Garcia's is a must do for me everytime I'm in Miami area.

For awhile I was going to Nassau Bahamas for vaca every year. There was a raw conch steak prep that I really enjoyed, pounded thin, squirt of fresh lime juice, and just a bit of chili sauce. Delicious.

Sweet Willie wrote:I disagree that conch is near flavorless.

For awhile I was going to Nassau Bahamas for vaca every year. There was a raw conch steak prep that I really enjoyed, pounded thin, squirt of fresh lime juice, and just a bit of chili sauce. Delicious.

I'm very open the possibility that I've yet to have full-flavored conch -- and if you can still taste it through lime juice and chili sauce, you must have had some flavorful stuff.

Hope to be in St. Croix next month, where I believe it's still possible to get the fresh stuff, which could make a difference.

Sweet Willie wrote:like most I first had conch in a conch fritter.

The two types of steak conch I've had have been fantastic, well worth the effort to seek out.

I disagree that conch is near flavorless. . .

I'm with Sweet Willie on this. Conch fritters in Key West were disappointing, yes, but many years ago, on a small island in the Bahamas, I had the occasion to receive a lesson in conch cookery from a local. Working with conch harvested only minutes before, and working with few ingredients, I planned a chowder. (Our local guest was excited at the prospect of "Irish potatoes," as he said they were hard to find in the islands.) With only limited previous experience of scungilli (thanks, Geo, for the distinction noted upthread), I suspected that our group would be dining on rubber bands in a rather bland soup. My fears proved groundless.

Sweet Willie wrote:For awhile I was going to Nassau Bahamas for vaca every year. There was a raw conch steak prep that I really enjoyed, pounded thin, squirt of fresh lime juice, and just a bit of chili sauce. Delicious.

Our local friend deftly sliced ribbons of the fresh conch, sprinkled it with lime, and offered them to us to taste. The flavor was, as noted in other comments, subtle, similar to that of a very fresh Nantucket scallop. What surprised me was our teacher's direction to gently cook the bits of conch in the chowder base, briefly, at the simmer. He also specified that we not add salt to the soup, but to let each person salt the soup to taste at the table. This, he pointed out, would maintain the optimal texture of the meat. And so it did. The texture of the cooked meat was anything but chewy. It was barely resistant to the tooth, more tender than a properly cooked piece of squid. Also surprising to me was the fact that the generous amount of conch meat we used (it was more of a stew than a soup) flavored the gravy/broth quite distinctly. I had thought that without any stock at our disposal, we would end up with something tasteless, but the resulting broth, in spite of the brief cooking time, was quite full of umami.

So, David, if in St. Croix you have the opportunity to obtain some conch at the harbor, or to dive for it, this might be the conch experience you have in store.

I had key west conch chowder, conch fritters, loved them but everybody's right, the conch is not really a feature taste more of a texture.

However, my mind was changed regarding Conch when I had it in Negril in Jamaica, at Kuyaba. The conch appetizer was so tender and delicious, the texture unlike any appetizer I have tried and I still crave it.

http://www.kuyaba.com/dinner.htm

Also, my Belizean friends in Chicago somehow got conch (Rogers Food Market?) and made a mean conch ceviche and it is still my favorite ceviche.

Why is conch so much better in some places. Is it because the better stuff is wild vs. farmed? Maybe.

viewtopic.php?f=18&t=39797&sp=474324

David Hammond wrote:Why is conch so much better in some places. Is it because the better stuff is wild vs. farmed? Maybe.

viewtopic.php?f=18&t=39797&sp=474324

Could be that, or it could be the skill of the chef.

stevez wrote:

David Hammond wrote:Why is conch so much better in some places. Is it because the better stuff is wild vs. farmed? Maybe.

viewtopic.php?f=18&t=39797&sp=474324

Could be that, or it could be the skill of the chef.

Perhaps, though I had conch three times in Keys and three times in Virgin Islands and the stuff from V.I. looked almost like a different creature: thicker, softer, more tender and more flavorful.

David Hammond wrote:Perhaps, though I had conch three times in Keys and three times in Virgin Islands and the stuff from V.I. looked almost like a different creature: thicker, softer, more tender and more flavorful.

Are you sure it wasn't a different creature? It seems that "conch" can refer to mollusks of different species, different genera, and even different families. That's a pretty diverse group.

Wikipedia wrote:True conches are marine gastropod molluscs in the family Strombidae, specifically in the genus Strombus and other closely related genera such as Eustrombus.

Many species also are often called "conch", but are not in the family Strombidae, including Melongena species (family Melongenidae), and the horse conch Pleuroploca gigantea (family Fasciolariidae). They also include the sacred chank or more correctly shankha shell (Turbinella pyrum) and other Turbinella species in the family Turbinellidae.

Excellent question, Peter. The two types of "conch" I had seemed like very distant relations, though within each location the type (based on my limited sample) was uniform.

The conch we had at Garifuna Flava was most like the Key West variety: thin, whitish, rather tough to chew, and not high on the flavor-o-meter.