Island Style Cooking, what exactly is that? How much does it cost? Can i get it in the Bahamas. I'm guessing you can get it on an island, i'm also guessing it should be reasonably priced, but this might not be the case. On the Islands I live i can find locally, Fresh Produce, Mutton, Fresh Pork, Poultry, Lamb and Sea Food in abundance.
Here Is a favourite Local Island Style Recipe 'Stew Conch' loved by Bahamians, Residents and Visitors alike.
First I'm going to dice and rough chop approximately 2 Cups of: Onions, Celery, Carrots & Green Bell Peppers, and place in a bowl with, 4 Cups of 1 inch Cubed Potatoes. I will set this aside until i need this. The next thing i do is bruise or tenderize then Chop up 4 - 6 Fresh Conchs get the biggest ones! I will place this in a separate bowl.
How to Make The Roux...Place a 6 Quart Pot on the stove under a mediumly moderate heat, the next step is crucial and need all of your time and attention you are about to make a roux. Take 6oz. Butter, 6oz. Vegetable Oil and 12oz. Flour. Add Butter and Oil to pan add Flour Immediately as the Butter starts to melt. Whisk together until smooth, you are going to cook flour mixture until it goes from a white color to a dark brown color, a few shades darker than seen in the above illustrated pictures. During this process of cooking the roux be sure to not burn the roux you can achieve this by constantly whiskin in a circular motion moving whish from the most outer edges of the pot to the middle of the pot, adjust the heat underneath the pot to have a bit more control, you may remove from heat and add more heat as necessary. Do Not Walk Away From This Process.
Step 1. Add Vegetables from bowl into the Dark Brown Roux, make sure pot is on a moderate heat you want the vegetables to cook a bit before adding the conch.
Step 2. Cook Vegetables In roux covered for 2 minutes.
Step 3. Add Conch to the Vegetables and Roux, stir completely and cook for 5 - 7 minutes covered.
Step 4. Cook For Additional 5 minutes covered at this point the potatoes should start to cook.
Next Add 4.5 Quarts of Warm or hot Fish Stock.
Here is where saving those fish heads come useful. To Make a Fish Stock Start With 5 Quarts of water and maybe a pound of fish head and bones, Onion Including Skin, Celery Stalk pieces you mostly throw away, and carrot pieces. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to a simmer to 4.5 quarts. Strain Cool & Set Aside For Use. Stocks Can Be Stored In The Refrigerator or Frozen. I may slice some carrots and add it to the pot at this point so i can have more vegetable with a bit more color during plating, if you are going to do this use less carrots in the beginning with the mirepoix.
Add Salt and add Pepper to you pot at this time. Cover and bring to a boil, uncover and reduce heat to a moderate simmer cook until Chowder thickens and reduces a bit more uncovered. Remove from heat and allow to cool before serving. Enjoy!
Photo Of Stew Conch With White Rice
Photo & Recipe By Chef Denaldo Bain
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