Bahamian Conch Salad
Bahamian Conch Salad Recipe – Enjoy a taste of the Caribbean at home with this refreshing raw seafood dish. Authentic Conch Salad is delicious to serve as an appetizer or side with your favorite Bahamian foods!
Why We Love This Homemade Caribbean Conch Salad
Disclaimer: Consuming any raw meat (or egg) does come with certain risks. Be sure to use fresh high-quality conch and serve this dish shortly after preparing. Do not make more than 24 hours ahead.
You know those dishes you get on vacation that you simply cannot stop thinking about when you get home? Well, this Bahamian Conch Salad is #1 at the top of my “when can we go back because I need to eat THAT” again list.
Refreshing, crunchy, tangy, and bright Conch Salad is a raw seafood dish we look forward to eating every time we visit the Bahamas. Seriously, the moment we step off the plane, we head straight to the harbor where the Conch Man is making fresh salads to order.
But even if you aren’t able to make a trip to the Caribbean, it’s easy to get a taste of the islands right in your own kitchen. We make this Conch Salad recipe for summer parties to serve with Caribbean cocktails like Bahamian Punch and everyone always raves about how delicious it is. I couldn’t agree more!
For this easy raw recipe, you absolutely need to have fresh conch. These giant tasty water snails are indigenous mainly to the Caribbean and are often served without cooking; therefore, purchasing them from a trustworthy source is essential.
Conch is not a common grocery store item, so if you have the hankering to make this salad at home but can’t find it locally, you can order the seafood online and have it overnighted. I promise the wonderfully unique taste and tender, slightly chewy texture is well worth it.
Once you’ve got the fresh conch, this Bahamian food recipe is a breeze to make. There are only a handful of other ingredients needed, and the no-cook raw salad is ready to enjoy in 15 minutes!
Ingredients You Need
Aside from the seafood itself, this recipe features traditional Bahamian food ingredients that are easy to find at your local grocery.
To prepare homemade raw Conch Salad you need:
- Conch meat – raw, either tenderized or steaks
- Fresh veggies – diced tomato, green bell pepper, red bell pepper, and sweet onion
- Habanero pepper – continue reading for tips to make this dish more or less spicy
- Oranges and limes – juiced
- Salt and pepper – to taste
How to Make Bahamian Seafood Salad
The only real effort needed to make this appetizer or side dish is a bit of prep work to chop all of the ingredients. Then everything is mixed together and, BOOM, you get to enjoy authentic Caribbean Conch Salad in less than 15 minutes!
Here are the foolproof steps to make the best raw Conch Salad recipe at home:
First, set out a large mixing bowl. Chop the conch meat into even ¼ inch cubes and place in the bowl.
Then chop all of the fresh produce and place it in the bowl as well.
Juice the orange and limes, and pour the juices over the salad. Generously season with salt and pepper.
Get the Complete (Printable) Authentic Caribbean Conch Salad Recipe Below. Enjoy!
Gently toss to coat. Take care not to mush the conch and veggies.
Taste, then add more salt and pepper as needed.
Cover and chill for at least 15 minutes or up to a few hours in the refrigerator.
Suggestions for How to Serve Conch Salad
You can enjoy small plates of Conch Salad as-is with a fork or spoon. It’s light yet hearty, and is terrific for lunch or dinner!
It is also a delicious starter or side to enjoy with other Bahamian food dishes. Serve the raw seafood salad alongside Caribbean Shrimp Burgers, or with Jamaican Curry Chicken as a refreshing side dish.
We love to have Conch Salad as a fun party snack served with plantain chips, Large-Batch Goombay Smash Caribbean Cocktails, and Spiced Rum Cake!
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes and no. As with all raw meat recipes it should be noted that there are certain risks whenever undercooked foods are consumed. Pregnant women, in particular, should avoid raw meat. However, if you purchase the conch from a trustworthy source (and are not pregnant) your risk of illness is very low.
Yes, the acid in the lime will cook the conch, making it somewhat like a conch ceviche. Since the conch is not being cooked with heat, it is important to use fresh conch that is good quality!
For a more mild recipe, only use half of a seeded and sliced habanero pepper – or feel free to leave it out entirely. To make a spicier Conch Salad, leave in the habanero seeds and/or increase the number of habaneros used from 1 to 2.
If you don’t have access to conch you can substitute with fresh shrimp to make this recipe. It will be more like a shrimp ceviche, but still so delicious! You can also try fish ceviche, instead.
Keep raw seafood salad covered in the refrigerator for up to 1 day, and no longer.
Looking for More Refreshing Salad Recipes? Be Sure to Also Try:
- Best Tuna Tartare (Easy Ahi Tuna Recipe)
- Hawaiian Ahi Poke Recipe
- Best Crab Salad (Seafood Salad)
- Ceviche de Pescado (Fish Ceviche Recipe)
- Garlic Lime Roasted Shrimp Salad
Bahamian Conch Salad Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 pound conch meat tenderized or steaks
- 1 cup diced tomato
- 1 cup diced green bell pepper
- 1 cup diced red bell pepper
- ¾ cup diced sweet onion
- 1 habanero pepper seeded and minced (or HALF for mild)
- 1 juicy orange juiced
- 2 juicy limes juiced
- Salt and pepper
Instructions
- Set out a large mixing bowl.
- Chop the conch meat into even ¼ inch cubes. Place in the bowl.
- Chop all the fresh produce and place in the bowl. *If you are sensitive to spicy heat, use only a quarter or half of the habanero.
- Juice the orange and limes. Pour the juice over the salad.
- Then generously salt and pepper. Toss to coat. Taste, then add more salt and pepper as needed.
- Chill until ready to serve.
I added extra lime juice and also some cayenne pepper to spice it up more (I love spicy)
11/10 The CONCH was so bussin my mouth started bustin
i steam the conch for 3min because there have been cases of illness due to bacteria.
I add a teaspoon of baking powder to tenderize the conch, I also add some white wine and let it marinate 24 hrs. The conch is a lot tender this way. I follow the rest of the recipe. It is a great salad.
Great conch salad.
This is super simple to make. That’s my kind of meal prep :)
So fresh and flavorful. My dinner guests devoured it!
raw seafood recipes are a hit or miss with me, and this one recipe is definitely a hit!