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Conch Facts
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Conch (pronounced 'konk') is a common name for certain large marine snails.
They are gastropod mollusks, the most commercially important of which are in the family Strombidae. The specific species we are concerned with here is the queen, or pink-lipped conch, Strombus gigas, which can be found in warm waters of the Atlantic and the Caribbean from Florida to Brazil. Their shells have overlapping whorls with a bright colored pink lip, which can reach a length of 12 to 13 inches. The operculum, which is the covering of the shell opening, is a claw like structure which the conch uses to dig into the sand and push itself along the bottom. They are plant eaters and can live as long as 25 years.
Conch is the second best known edible snail, the first being escargot from Burgundy, France. Conch has been a popular food source throughout the Caribbean since the time of the Arawak Indians, before Christopher Columbus. The Arawaks also carved the spiral shells into various tools, musical horns (there are still conch-horn blowing contests throughout the Caribbean) and ceremonial objects. They are still an important food source for natives of Haiti and the Bahamas, who use it in soups and salads.
It is illegal to take live conch in U.S. waters, where they are an endangered species, so most conch now comes from the various Caribbean islands, including the Bahamas (where it is sometimes called 'hurricane ham'). However, they are becoming scarce even in those waters, as the price continues to rise.
Conch meat has a mild, sweet clam-like flavor, but is extremely tough and must be pounded, or marinated in lime juice to tenderize it before cooking. Some of the most common uses are for conch fritters, conch chowder, conch steaks and marinated raw conch salad. Most restaurants in South Florida have conch fritters and/or conch chowder on the menu, along with the ubiquitous Key Lime Pie, and Stone Crab claws.
Note 1: Scungili and whelk are distant relatives of conch.
Note 2: If you are ever in Florida do not pronounce the word conch sounding the 'ch' - be sure to pronounce it 'konk'.
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