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Trinidad and Tobago · Conch

Trini Conch Souse

Lambie Souse

Souse is the Trinbagonian cure for a hot Saturday: tender conch soaked in an ice-cold brine of lime, cucumber, onion, garlic, shadow beni and hot pepper.

  • Prep 25 min + 1 hr chill
  • Cook 1 hr
  • Serves 4–6
  • Level Easy
Photo: Uncle Catherine · CC BY 2.0
Served with: Trinidad Fry Bake ↓En Español

Ingredients

Tap each item as you gather it.

For the conch

For the souse

Method

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

  1. Clean the conch. Rub the conch with lime halves and rinse well. Pound it with a mallet until about ½ inch (1 cm) thick.
  2. Boil until tender. Cover the conch with salted water and simmer 45–60 minutes (or 20 minutes in a pressure cooker), until tender. Drain and cool.
  3. Make the souse. In a large bowl stir together the cold water, lime juice, salt and pepper. Add the cucumber, onion, garlic, shadow beni and hot pepper.
  4. Soak and chill. Slice the conch thin and drop it into the souse. Cover and refrigerate at least 1 hour so it soaks up the flavor.
  5. Serve. Ladle the conch and plenty of the liquid into bowls and serve ice cold with fry bake.

On the side

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

Trinidad and Tobago

Trinidad Fry Bake

Fry Bake

Soft, puffy fried bread that splits open like a pocket. At Maracas Bay it holds the famous bake and shark; at home it goes with any fried or stewed fish.

  • Prep 15 min + 30 min resting
  • Cook 15 min
  • Serves 4 (about 8)
  • Level Easy

You need

  • 2 cups (250 g) all-purpose flour
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp sugar
  • ½ tsp salt
  • 1 tbsp butter or shortening
  • ¾ cup water (about)
  • Vegetable oil for frying

How to make it

  1. Make the dough. Mix the flour, baking powder, sugar and salt. Rub in the butter, then add water little by little to make a soft, smooth dough. Knead 2 minutes.
  2. Rest. Cover and let it rest 30 minutes.
  3. Shape. Divide into 8 balls and flatten each into a round about ¼ inch (5 mm) thick.
  4. Fry. Fry in 1 inch (2.5 cm) of oil at 350 °F (175 °C), spooning hot oil over the top so it puffs, 1–2 minutes per side until golden. Drain and serve warm.

Photo: Ll1324 · CC0

More ways to cook Conch

Same fish, a different corner of the sea.

Nassau, BahamasBahamian Conch Salad
Freeport, Grand Bahama, BahamasBahamian Conch Fritters
Jacmel, HaitiHaitian Conch Stew