Conch-y Tonkin

Ever since I met Ken, which was 2 years ago, he has told me of the Bahamas and all of it's wonders.  Now, beyond my wildest dreams, I am here....not at work.  Like the great Jamie Lawson song, "I Wasn't Expecting That" but here I am.  One of the treats of this paradise is the ability to collect conch, a tropical marine mollusk with a robust spiral shell which may bear long projections and have a flared lip.  The flared lip is what it must have to make it a legal size to collect.

 Ken told me of how he would walk the sand flats in search of this delicacy of the sea and then how to release the "meat" from the shell therefore providing a sumptuous basis for a great cruiser's meal.

 He had collected enough conch on his Bahamas cruise in 2016 to bring some back in the freezer so I was able to experience this delicacy in Covington, La.   He prepared it for me in several ways: conch salad is made with raw conch and peppers, onions, lots of citrus juice (like a ceviche) as well as his beautiful recipe for conch fritters (yep, battered and fried!!!), Cracked conch is fried after tenderizing and battered. 

So I knew that finding conch would be something that I would definitely want to do.   After having spent my young girls' life gigging flounders with my dad in the shallow back bay sand banks of Timbalier Island in the Gulf of Mexico, I had an idea of how to spot a camouflaged target on the sea bed.  I was not sure how exactly the conch would try to hide itself but having seen many of the shells I had a pretty good idea of what to look for.

We had taken the dink (short for dinghy, our shore transport which we launch from the boat deck with a motorized hoist) into a small deserted island close to our anchorage and approaching the island we had to cross a large section of shallow sand banks.  This required us to get out and pull the dink along.  While doing so, Ken told me to keep a sharp "first mate's eye" out for conch which would be hard to see.  All of a sudden......what to my wondering eyes should appear????  But my first conch sighting and ever so near!!!

 It was a beaut!!!  Very big, still alive and had FRITTERS written all over it!!!.  Ken was so excited that I had harvested my very first conch in the waters of the Bahamas and I was beside myself as well.   It made me think of the gentleman who made us fresh conch salad at the Great Harbor Cay Marina just a few days before.  He said, "The sea provides....You may get lost living on the sea but you will never go hungry".  Words of wisdom from an island native, and also a subtle challenge to study your charts and have a good understanding of navigational techniques.....
Suffice it to say.....Conch-y Tonkin will be one of my favorite activities and one that we will do as often as we can.  You are allowed 6 conch per day, and we found 2 (mine was bigger, LOL) which will be more than enough for a great fritter meal with lots of left overs....well maybe....

He made a great dipping sauce too!
Bon Appetite Me Hearties!

And the fritters were sooooo delicious, prepared with love and his own recipe.  Enjoyed with a side of my speciality.....homemade cole slaw and sadly it was made with the last of our fresh cabbage.  We will be able to reprovision in the Exumas soon.   Heading there on Friday.  See you at the next stop!