Conch Fritters?

greetings,

new to the lth.... anybody know where i can find outstanding conch and/or conch fritters?

Runawayjim,

Cheeseburger in Paradise, located in Downer's Grove had them on their menu, but I was told they were actually made with shrimp. According to the bartender Conch is a species nearing endagerment, so they no longer serve it. Kinda like when a large group of chefs/restaurants stopped serving Chilean sea bass. Since my last visit to CIB they have changed the menu to reflect that they are actually shrimp fritters.

Flip

Flip wrote:... According to the bartender Conch is a species nearing endangerment, so they no longer serve it...

Uh oh, what are we to do on Christmas Eve without our scungilli?

A

Runawayjim wrote:anybody know where i can find outstanding conch and/or conch fritters?

Hmmm. Jamaica Jerk, just east of the Howard L, had them when Leah and I were there the other night. They were chewy but good tasting... they were certainly not shrimp.

Try to ignore the giant Steve Dolinsky shrine on the counter... it was almost certainly caused by this Hungry Hound show. (I haven't had much patience with Dolinsky since he held up a brunch for an hour describing the donated sleepware he was wearing.)


Jamaica Jerk
1631 W Howard St, Chicago
(773) 764-1546

Hi,

Less than two weeks ago, I saw conch in a big pile over at Chicago Food Corp. available to buy and prepare.

Chicago Food Corporation
3333 North Kimball Avenue
Chicago, IL 60618
773-478-3130

Louie's Backyard in Key West FLA - I haven't found conch fritters better than theirs anywhere else.

Leesh

As a Floridian, I'll be the first to reveal that I'm not a big fan of my people's conch treatment, whther chowder or fritter.

On the other hand, I like what Chicago-Italians do with the rubbery slug. Try the seafood salad at Rosebud (that's right, Rosebud). Similarly strong is the mixed seafood salad at Tango Sur. Both are heavy on the conch, which must be cheaper than the other ingredients and probably comes frozen. In the case of conch, that probably improves texture.

JeffB wrote:On the other hand, I like what Chicago-Italians do with the rubbery slug. Try the seafood salad at Rosebud (that's right, Rosebud) ... In the case of conch, that probably improves texture.

I've never had the fritters but came over time really to enjoy the scungilli salad that my family always has/had on Christmas Eve. The worst aspect of preparing that dish is that the conch has to cook a really long time and, while cooking, it gives off a not especially appealing odour. Not foul but a little funky... and it lingers... Sort of like tripe.

Here's a way to perfume a house:
- first course: conch salad
- second course: tripe with cabbage on the side

A


(Something of a digression and deserving to appear in a different thread... But if one goes to Rosebud for the seafood salad, how is the rest of the stuff there?)

Rosebud isn't so popular with food cognoscenti, and it is a little heavy-handed. But, I certainly don't mind the hand-made cavatelli with rapini and olive oil, the giambotta, or the veal Milanesa. Oddly, the last item is on the Rush St. menu but not the Taylor. Not to worry, as they will make it on Taylor if you ask nicely, in my experience.

For what it's worth, I was on Taylor the other night and noticed that Rosebud now has a very large and inviting patio with decent furniture (I can't abide sitting in a 5 dollar green plastic chair at a restaurant with white tablecloths and high prices inside). I sorta wished we had gone there instead of Francesca's on Taylor, a former favorite of mine. The pizza quattro stagione used to be nearly perfect, with blackened edges and a runny egg. The other day, everything from the cheese to the crust tasted rewarmed -- and a little like gas.

I've tried conch fritters at a couple of places in E. Rogers Park, but found them to be too much fritter and too little conch.

After reading Cathy2's response, i stopped by Chicago Food Corp. yesterday on the way home, and picked up some nice steamed conch steaks for $5.99/lb. After chopping them, I added diced bell peppers and onions, spices, Bisquick, and eggs, and dropped the fritters by the spoonful into oil at 375-degrees until golden brown. The result: the best conch fritters I've had outside of the FL Keys and the Bahamas.

My motto is always: If you can't find it, make it.

Cheers,
Wade

P.S. Images at http://homepage.mac.com/wroberts/PhotoAlbum9.html

waderoberts wrote:I've tried conch fritters at a couple of places in E. Rogers Park, but found them to be too much fritter and too little conch.
<snip>
My motto is always: If you can't find it, make it.

Wade,

I imagine you're the same Wade I exchanged Louisiana boudin recipes with on chi.eats in '98. Nice to see you still have the same philosophy, which happens to be the same as mine.

I'm still making boudin, in fact I made a batch a month or so ago, though over the years I've settled into a recipe from Hot Links and Country Flavors by Bruce Aidells and Denis Kelly, as opposed to the recipe you were kind enough to post.

By the way, great looking conch fritters, and thanks for the inspiration, I might just make a batch later today.

Enjoy,
Gary

Gary,

It is, indeed, me.

Still eating out, and celebrating the wonderful culinary diversity of Chicago.

And, still making it when I can't find it (or can't find it good enough):
bbq brisket
bbq N.C. pork shoulders
ribs
chicken-fried steak
Tex-Mex
boudin
chili
jerky
hot links
lox
etc.

I may try to cure a country attic ham this winter.

You might be interested in this wonderful resource for sausage recipes:

http://www.geocities.com/BourbonStreet/9802/recipes1.htm

I'm going to make the Slim Jims soon.

Cheers,
Wade

waderoberts wrote:And, still making it when I can't find it (or can't find it good enough):
<snip>
I may try to cure a country attic ham this winter.

Wade,

We're certainly on the same page, I cook a lot of BBQ, 45-lbs of butts for pulled pork and 25-lbs of chicken this weekend alone, and make pretty much all the items on your list, with the exception of jerky.

One item on your list I'm sure you have more experience with than me is Tex-Mex. I've stalked Tex-Mex in it's natural habitat, but never found anything approaching good in Chicago. MAG found a place that has potential, but said it needed a couple of additional visits before a firm opinion can be had.

I'm just starting to cook Tex-Mex, bought the new Robert Walsh Tex-Mex book, but have just barely brushed the surface. Do you have any favorite Tex-Mex books and/or info you'd like to recommend?

I'd be interested how the Attic Ham goes, I've read Dan Gill's Smokehouse Ham and found it interesting in the extreme, but not something I am ready to approach as of yet.

Dan has info on BBQ and indoor BBQ pit building on his site as well.

Enjoy,
Gary

Gary,

Matt (of Dallas' legendary El Rancho) Martinez's Culinary Frontier is a great and authentic Tex-Mex cookbook, but Amazon, sadly reports it out of print:

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0385485069/qid=1093908490/sr=ka-2/ref=pd_ka_2/104-4711084-8274316

But . . . .

He has a new cookbook, which I haven't seen, but have just ordered (Matt Makes a Run fpr the Border: Recipes and Tales from a Tex-Mex Chef):

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0867307684/qid=1093908490/sr=ka-1/ref=pd_ka_1/104-4711084-8274316

And here's a nice on-line Tex-Mex recipe site (with on-line ordering of ingredients):

http://texmex.net/default.htm

Cheers,
Wade

P.S. Texas food is great. Mexican food is great. Tex-Mex is sublime.

P.S.2. Don't forget that real Tex-Mex uses a (not surprisingly) beef/chile gravy (not a ranchero/mole/tomato-based sauce) over such dishes as enchiladas and tamales.

P.S.3. Now I'm heading to make a mess of Frito Pie and homemade pimiento cheese spread.

Belizean restaurants usually serve conch fritters.

I don't vouch that all of these are still extant or that the fritters are still on the menu:

Flower's Pot
7328 N. Clark St., Chicago
773/761-4388

San's Belizean Soul Food
2223 W. Howard St., Chicago
773/743-0566

Tickie's Belizean Cuisine
7605 N. Paulina Ave., Chicago
773/973-3919

Waderoberts wrote:I may try to cure a country attic ham this winter.

Hi,

Maybe 20-25 years ago was when I read about home curing a country ham the first time. The big issues, hard to replicate in insulated homes, is the temperature range. It was around this time I kept toying with idea of someday buying a farm(ette) to have to locale and conditions to follow through with my cooking experiments. (Talk about expensive ham!)

Where do you hope to hang your ham? As I am musing to myself, if you have an attached garage this may replicate the temperature range you need. Of course, there is that not so small issue of fumes from the car.

Anyway, I do hope as the great experiment is conducted you will keep us informed.

Ezuli, in wicker park, has yummy conch fritters with a spicy sauce.

Calypso Cafe in Hyde Park has them; as to their quality, I enjoyed eating them, but I'm no expert. It's not a bad little spot for dinner, conch aside.