Chic Eats: Conch Fritters with Spiced Key Lime Honey

Chic Eats: Conch Fritters with Spiced Key Lime Honey

If you won’t be getting your kicks on vacation this summer, you still can bring a little of the beach home with you with this week's recipe brought to you be our Chic Chef.

Beginning roughly in 2008, a decline in the economy saw a rise in “staycations,” mini, wallet-friendly trips to local venues. More and more Americans discovered local, and often under-appreciated, areas of interest in their own backyards.

As a food person, one of my favorite parts of a beach vacation is food-sampling the specialties of the region -- perhaps trying something new, or even authentic recipes of favorite dishes rather than the replicas served in some hometown restaurants. Vacationing beachside compels one to indulge in the multitude of fresh local seafood available, so when in Rome...

Luckily, though, for us landlocked staycationers who won’t be dining seaside, seafood arrives daily to local markets. While fresh is always better than frozen, many seafood products are caught and frozen the same day on commercial fishing boats, preserving the maximum amount of fresh flavor.

Our Conch Fritters with Spiced Key Lime Honey are inspired by the Floridian and Caribbean favorite of the same name. Conch is a mollusk native to the waters of Southern Florida and the Caribbean. The peak season for fresh conch is summer, so it may be available in specialty fish markets. If fresh or frozen conch is unavailable, substitute fresh or frozen clams.

For our fritters, conch is folded into a simple choux pastry then fried to crisp perfection. The resulting savory donuts are light, airy, and golden brown. Serve them warm drizzled with the Spiced Key Lime honey, with a light-bodied premium ale or beach-inspired cocktail, and a little calypso music.

Conch Fritters with Spiced Key Lime Sauce

Yield: 4 to 6 servings

For the Fritters

Ingredients:

1 stick unsalted butter
1 cup water
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup all purpose flour
1/4 pound conch meat (thawed, if purchased frozen), finely chopped
1 teaspoon finely minced garlic
4 eggs (3 whole eggs and 1 yolk)
1 teaspoon chiffonade fresh parsley
1/2 teaspoon chiffonade fresh mint

Method:

Combine the butter, water and salt in a medium sauce pan and bring to a boil over medium heat.
Lower the heat and add the flour all at once, stirring.
Continue cooking, stirring continuously, until dough forms a ball, 3 to 5 minutes.
Place dough in bowl of mixer.
Add chopped conch and garlic and mix just until incorporated.
Add eggs one at a time while mixing on low speed, allowing each egg to incorporate before adding the next.
Mix until smooth.
In a deep frying pan, add enough oil to reach two inches up the side of the pan.
Heat oil over medium heat to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
Fry one tablespoon portions of the dough in batches.
Drain and sprinkle with salt.
Drizzle with lime honey.
Sprinkle with herbs.

For the Spiced Key Lime Honey

Ingredients:

1 fluid ounce lime juice
3 fluid ounces honey
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Method:

Stir together all ingredients.

PHOTO CREDITS
Photo courtesy of VendiRei Jones

VendiRei Jones -
	VendiRei Jones is the chef/owner of Torta, a licensed home bakery specializing in sweet and savory tarts. E-mail her at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . Read More >>

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