Conch Season in Belize is open from Oct 1st until June 30th
 conch shell on the beach |
Try some local flavor and enjoy a bowl of Conch Soup. Here is my recipe that I learned from Hortencia Rosado.
| Conch meat cleaned and pounded
Limes and lime juice – clean the conch with juice Veggies – plantain, carrot, potato, whole corn, squash, cabbage and onion. cut up into bit size pieces. Herbs – Cilantro and Oregano. Use the cilantro cut up on top of the soup, adds flavor, put a couple of leaves of Oregano in the soup while it is cooking. not too much, as you don’t want to over power the flavor. You can omit this, if you want. Spices – Pepper and salt. Habenero or Marie Sharps Hot sauce – dash for flavor, just like the cilantro. Coconut oil – fry the conch in the oil and put aside. Water for Chicken soup base (maggie soup) or bouillon cubes |
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| Instructions: | |
| Pound the conch with meat pounder and cut into bite pieces. Let Conch sit in fresh water with lime. Fry the conch in coconut oil and set aside.
Cut veggies into big bite size pieces. Cut corn 1/2 inch on cob. Slice the squash like orange pieces. Cut potatoes into square pieces. Plantain should be firm. Buy one that is yellow, if not ripe will taste bitter cut into half inch pieces add to soup last. Soup base. use oil that conch was fried in, add chopped garlic, about half a garlic head and one medium size onion. Add water and soup base. If you want your soup thick and creamy add one can of evaporated milk and one can of coconut milk. I use just coconut milk, but add this last. Sprinkle with pepper and salt to taste, be careful as maggie soup has lots of it added. Add your veggies that take longer to cook like carrots and potatos first….add cooked conch and last with plantain. Bring to a boil and reduce heat. Meanwhile make rice. If you want your rice to have a coconut flavor add coconut milk just before it is finished. About 1 cup. Serve your soup with a cup of rice. Cut up fresh cilantro along with habanero pepper and lime wedges. For more information about Queen Conch go to www.strombusgigas.com |
