Bahamas Conch Fritters – An authentic Caribbean recipe for crispy and flavorful fritters made from fresh clam meat. Conch fritters are easy to fry at home and perfect for serving with your favorite dipping sauces as a snack or starter!
We love traveling to the Bahamas to relax in the sun. Aside from enjoying the beaches, one of our favorite things to do when visiting the Caribbean is eating amazingly!
And the snacks that we just can’t get enough of are lightly crispy, incredibly flavorful deep fried conch fritters. Whenever we see them on a Bahamian menu, we have have to order a plate and try their version.
Although we see enough of the islands, when we return home, the desire for delicious, crunchy donuts comes back strongly. So it was definitely time to get a authentic conch fritters recipe you can do this at home when the desire strikes!
Bahamas Conch Fritters
Even if you’ve never tried Conch Fritters, the concept is probably familiar … delicious, tender Fried donuts are similar in size to hush puppies with a consistency that is like a soft luxurious crab cake. But instead of being made with a simple corn batter, they are filled with a delicious mix of chopped fresh clams, paprika and strong spices.
Pro tip: When you order conch to make conch salad, you’re buying another pound to make these irresistible seafood fritters!
Homemade Caribbean-style conch fritters are surprisingly easy to make; we even use a Food processor for super quick preparation. After all the ingredients are chopped together, spicy beer is mixed into a rich batter, which is then scooped and deep-fried in oil. The result is a plate full of donuts ultra moist and piquant inside and wonderfully crispy outdoors.
Make a serving of conch fritters and serve with your Favorite seafood sauces for dipping. They are ideal as a hearty snack or party aperitif that you and your guests (almost) you will feel like you are on an island vacation!
Ingredients you need
Fresh clam meat can be a little tricky to come by, so I recommend that you buy it online and leave it overnight if not available on site. However, all other ingredients are pantry staples that are easy to find in most grocery stores.
To Make The Best Authentic Conch Fritters Recipe You Will Need:
- Clam meat – Steaks or tenderized
- vegetables – pitted and chopped peppers, onion and celery (also known as the Trinity in southern cuisine)
- Habanero pepper – sown
- All-purpose flour – the binding agent for the donuts
- baking powder – gives the conch fritters a lighter consistency and not too dense
- spices – dried thyme, salt, black pepper, paprika
- Mexican beer – or other light beer or club soda
- Frying oil – Vegetables or peanuts are best
How to make clam donuts from scratch
This recipe uses a Deep-frying method that requires a large, deep pot. It’s also best to use a high heat thermometer, such as a candy thermometer, to help you get the oil on just right Temperature.
To make conch fritters, first place a large 6-8 liter saucepan on the stove over medium heat. Attach the cooking thermometer to the side and pour the oil into the pan. Bring the temperature up 360 degrees F.
In the meantime, set up a food processor. Cut the clam meat into large pieces and pulse it in the processor for a moment or two to cut into small pieces. Then add the pitted and roughly chopped paprika, the chopped onion, the chopped celery and the pitted habanero pepper.
Pulse to chop the clam and vegetables into fine pieces.
Next, prepare a mixing bowl and add the mussel mixture. Stir in flour, baking powder, thyme, salt, pepper and paprika.
Mix the ingredients well.
Finally, mix in the beer (or club soda) to get a thick batter. The consistency should be similar to a hushpuppy or small crab cake mix.
Get the full (printable) Bahamian Conch Fritters recipe below. Enjoy!
Once the oil is hot, use a 1½ tablespoon (or a regular ice cream scoop) to portion the batter into balls. Gentle and carefully drop the balls in the hot oil.
Spoon and fry 8-10 donuts at the same time for approx. 4-5 minutes each. You can use a spoon to gently move them around if they touch, but otherwise they should fry undisturbed.
When done, the donuts should be a deep golden brownbut not burned.
Prepare a plate lined with paper towels to drain the fried conch fritters. Once the first batch is ready, use a skimmer to get it onto the plate.
Cut one open to make sure it’s through, however still damp and slightly spongy. On the inside it should look similar to the picture below …
Repeat the ladling and frying process with the rest of the batter. You probably need to be in total 4-5 batches.
When all of the conch fritters are fried, serve them warm with your favorite sauce and / or side dish.
frequently asked Questions
They definitely taste best when enjoyed straight from the frying oil. However, you can store them in an airtight container and keep them in the refrigerator for about a day. Reheat them in the oven, deep fryer, or air fryer for a few minutes until they are warm and crispy again.
Feel free to use your favorite all-purpose gluten-free flour mix to make this recipe GF friendly. Note, however, that if the mixture includes baking soda, you can skip adding extra flour as per the recipe. Also, be sure to use a gluten-free beer or just use club soda.
Looking for more fried snack and side dish recipes?
Bahamian Conch Fritters
Easy Caribbean Recipe to Make Delicious Fried Conch Fritters at Home. Enjoy crispy, tender conch fritters with dipping sauces as a snack or starter!
Servings: 40 donuts
- 1 lb Clam meat Steaks or tenderized
- 1 green paprika cored and cut into pieces
- ¾ Cup chopped onion
- ½ Cup chopped celery
- 1 Habanero pepper sown
- 1 ½ Cup All-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon paprika
- ½ Cup light Mexican beer or club soda
- 1 quart fry oil
Set a large 6-8 liter saucepan over medium heat. Attach a cooking thermometer to the side and pour the oil into the saucepan. Bring the temperature to 360 degrees F.
In the meantime, set up a food processor. Cut the clam meat into large pieces. Pulse to chop into small pieces. Then add paprika, onion, celery and habanero. Pulse to chop into fine pieces.
Prepare a mixing bowl. Add the mussel mixture to the bowl. Then stir in the flour, baking powder, thyme, salt, pepper and paprika. Mix well. Finally, mix in the beer until a thick batter is formed.
Once the oil is hot, use a 1 ½ tablespoon spoon to portion the batter into balls. Carefully drop the balls into the hot oil. Spoon and fry 8-10 donuts at a time for about 4-5 minutes.
Prepare a plate lined with kitchen paper to drain the dried clam donuts. Once the first batch is ready, use a skimmer to get it onto the plate. Slice one up to make sure it’s cooked through but still moist. Repeat with the remaining dough in 4-5 batches. (The donuts should be dark brown, but not burnt.)
- Serve warm with a side of tartar sauce or tartar sauce.
Storage tips: They definitely taste best when they are enjoyed freshly fried right away. However, you can store them in an airtight container and keep them in the refrigerator for about a day. Heat them in the oven, deep fryer, or hot air fryer for a few minutes until they are warm and crispy again.
Portion: 1fritter away, Calories: 78kcal, Carbohydrates: 4thG, Protein: 2G, Fat: 6thG, Saturated fatty acids: 4thG, Polyunsaturated fat: 1G, Monounsaturated fatty acids: 1G, Cholesterol: 6thmg, Sodium: 68mg, Potassium: 75mg, Fiber: 1G, Sugar: 1G, Vitamin A: 120IE, Vitamin C: 4thmg, Calcium: 8thmg, Iron: 1mg
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