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Haiti · Conch

Haitian Conch Stew

Lambi an Sòs

A Haitian celebration dish: conch beaten tender, soaked in lime and epis, then stewed slowly in a spicy tomato sauce with peppers and thyme. Rice and beans on the side, always.

  • Prep 30 min + 1 hr marinate
  • Cook 1 hr 15 min
  • Serves 4–6
  • Level Medium
Photo: Candis · Pexels
Served with: Haitian Rice and Red Beans ↓En Español

Ingredients

Tap each item as you gather it.

For the conch

For the sauce

Method

Step by step, the way it is done on the island.

  1. Clean and tenderize. Rub the conch with lime halves and rinse. Pound it with a meat mallet until about ½ inch (1 cm) thick, then cut into bite-size pieces.
  2. Marinate. Toss the conch with the juice of 1 lime, the epis and salt. Cover and refrigerate at least 1 hour.
  3. Cook until tender. Put the conch and its marinade in a pot, cover with water and simmer 45–60 minutes until a fork goes in easily (or 20 minutes in a pressure cooker). Drain, keeping 1 cup of the broth.
  4. Stew. In a heavy pan heat the oil and cook the onion and peppers 5 minutes. Add the garlic and tomato paste for 2 minutes, then the tomatoes, thyme, Scotch bonnet, cloves, conch and the saved broth. Simmer 15–20 minutes until the sauce thickens.
  5. Finish. Stir in the butter, season with salt and pepper and remove the whole pepper and thyme stems. Serve with diri kole.

On the side

The side dish that belongs with it, full recipe included.

Haiti

Haitian Rice and Red Beans

Diri Kole ak Pwa

Rice cooked with red beans, epis, cloves and a whole Scotch bonnet until every grain is rich and rosy. In Haiti it is the rice for Sunday and for fried fish.

  • Prep 15 min
  • Cook 45 min
  • Serves 6
  • Level Easy

You need

  • 1 can (15 oz) red kidney beans, drained, liquid saved (or 1 cup dry, cooked)
  • 1½ cups long-grain white rice, rinsed
  • 2 tbsp vegetable oil
  • 2 tbsp epis (Haitian seasoning base) or 3 garlic cloves + 2 scallions, minced
  • 2 whole cloves
  • 2 sprigs fresh thyme
  • 1 whole Scotch bonnet pepper
  • 1 tbsp butter
  • 2¾ cups liquid: the bean liquid plus water
  • 1 tsp salt

How to make it

  1. Fry the beans. Heat the oil in a heavy pot over medium heat. Add the beans and fry for 5–6 minutes, stirring, until they start to crisp. This gives the rice its color and flavor.
  2. Add the seasoning. Stir in the epis, cloves and thyme and cook 2 minutes.
  3. Boil the liquid. Add the liquid and salt and bring to a boil. Taste: it should be a little saltier than you like.
  4. Cook the rice. Stir in the rice and boil uncovered until the liquid drops to the level of the rice. Lay the whole pepper and butter on top, cover tightly and cook on low for 20 minutes. Remove the pepper and fluff.

Photo: jeffreyw · CC BY 2.0

More ways to cook Conch

Same fish, a different corner of the sea.

Nassau, BahamasBahamian Conch Salad
Freeport, Grand Bahama, BahamasBahamian Conch Fritters
Tobago, Trinidad and TobagoTrini Conch Souse