Bahamian
bowlful
Years of experimenting produces spicy chowder
By Sue Dannahower
SUE DANNAHOWER I grew up in Florida eating from the ocean: clams,
1 large can spicy V8 tomato juice
46 ounces
2 8-ounce bottles clam juice
3 10-ounce cans crushed tomatoes
with juice
1 package Lipton Onion Soup Mix
2 stalks celery, diced
1 small onion, diced
1 carrot, peeled and diced
½ red or green pepper, diced
SUE’S BAHAMIAN CONCH CHOWDER
4 cloves garlic, crushed
¼ cup lime juice
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon thyme
1 teaspoon white pepper
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon Tabasco sauce
1 pound bacon, diced, browned,
and drained
1 to 1½ pounds raw conch, ground
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A combination of
conch, spices and
vegetables makes for
a delicious chowder.
Place all ingredients, except conch, in
a large stockpot. Cook on medium-low
heat until all vegetables are tender approximately
20 minutes. Add conch and
cook for five minutes. Serve warm with
extra Tabasco sauce and oyster crackers.
Serves: 10-12
Note: This recipe freezes well for up to 3
months.
lobster, oysters, shrimp, crab and fish.
In 1975, my fiancé, Dan Dannahower, and I flew his
plane to Green Turtle Cay in Abaco, Bahama. We
dove for conch almost every day, came back to our
cottage and prepared chowder. I fashioned my first recipe
after my dad’s favorite Manhattan Clam Chowder.
Dan was a United Airlines pilot and we lived in Denver,
Colorado, for 20 years. On my trips home to Florida, I would
bring back conch meat and started experimenting with the
recipe to suit my husband’s taste. While in Denver, I hosted
a gourmet dinner club event that had a tropical theme and it
was then that I created this version of conch chowder, which
was from a compilation of several recipes.
Conch is a tropical marine mollusk with a shell that comes
to a noticeable point at both ends. In North America, a
conch is often identified as a queen conch, indigenous to
the waters of the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean. The meat is
very tough and must be ground. It can be purchased at the
New England Fish Market in Jensen Beach and Palm City. Or
you can grind it on your own using a KitchenAid mixer with
a grinder attachment or an old-fashioned metal grinder.
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