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Jamaican conch soup
Conch soup: thick, peppery north-coast conch soup with spinners
From Montego Bay's craft market cookshops to roadside pots around Falmouth, conch soup is sold by the cup on Fridays and Saturdays: tender pieces of conch in a thick, peppery broth with potatoes, pumpkin, carrot and chewy flour spinners. Conch is famously tough, so it is pounded and simmered slowly before the vegetables go in. Buy cleaned frozen conch meat from a fishmonger; thaw it in the fridge and throw away any that smells off. The most common mistake is not tenderising the conch, leaving rubbery chunks; pound it well and simmer until a knife slides in. Chef's tip: a little lime rubbed into the conch before pounding removes its slippery film and freshens the flavour.
- Total time
- 120 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 6
Ingredients
For the soup
- 1 ⅓ lb cleaned conch meatthawed in the fridge if frozen
- 1 limejuice only
- 2.5 litres water
- 1 onionchopped
- 4 cloves garliccrushed
- 3 spring onions (scallion)chopped
- 4 sprigs fresh thyme
- 1 scotch bonnet pepperwhole
- 14 oz potatoespeeled, cubed
- 10 ½ oz pumpkinpeeled, cubed
- 2 carrotsdiced
- 1 ½ tsp saltto taste
- ½ tsp black pepper
For the spinners
- 5 ½ oz plain flour
- ¼ tsp salt
- ½ cup cold waterabout
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Method
0/5 doneStep 1: Check 1 ⅓ lb cleaned conch meat smells clean and fresh of the sea; discard any that smells sour. Rub it with 1 lime, rinse, then pound the pieces with a meat mallet until flattened and slightly frayed. Cut into small bite-sized pieces.
Step 2: Put the conch in a large pot with 2.5 litres water, 1 onion, 4 cloves garlic, 4 sprigs fresh thyme and 8 allspice berries (pimento). Bring to the boil, skim, then cover and simmer gently for 1 hour, until a knife slides into the conch easily.
60 minStep 3: Add 14 oz potatoes, 10 ½ oz pumpkin, 2 carrots, 1 scotch bonnet pepper and half of 1 ½ spring onions (scallion). Simmer for 15 minutes.
15 minStep 4: Knead 5 ½ oz plain flour, ¼ tsp salt and ½ cup cold water to a firm dough and roll into thin spinners. Drop into the soup and simmer for 15 minutes, until they float and are cooked through and the pumpkin has broken down to thicken the soup.
15 minStep 5: Remove the scotch bonnet, season with 1 ½ tsp salt and ½ tsp black pepper and stir in the rest of 1 ½ spring onions (scallion). Serve hot.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 340 kcal
- Protein
- 27 g
- Carbs
- 44 g
- Fat
- 5 g
- Fibre
- 5 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does jamaican conch soup take?
- About 120 minutes in total: 30 minutes to prepare and 90 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 6 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it very spicy?
- It has some heat. Use less chilli for a milder version, or more if you like it hot.
- What can I use instead of lime?
- Lemon, same amount.
- What can I use instead of onion?
- 2 shallots per onion.
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