Harvesting/Eating the "other conchs"? - Crown Conch, Horse Conch, etc..

[Bob01]

Hi All,

I'm having the craving for some fresh cracked conch... I know the queen conch is protected, but it seems the other conchs like the crown conch, horse conch, Whelks, fighting conch, etc are not regulated/protected... Yeah I know the first three are technically not conchs since not in the "Strombus" family

Anyway was curious if anyone can chime in on the table quality of these "other conchs" - I have a feeling it will take quite a load to get a decent quantity of meat or some ceviche, salad or fritters, but think I can spare an afternoon ;-) So any tips on collecting & preparing - ie which ones taste better, how to prepare them, do they require time with the tenderizer/mallet, etc

Thanks!,

Bob

 

[Goannaman]

I've heard horse conch is quite tasty.

I don't think they are regulated, so you would just need a fishing license, but don't take my word for that.

 

[Reef_Haven]

There was some discussion about harvesting and eating horse conch in the Boynton Dive Chronicles thread. Starting a little before here http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/4839163-post1478.html
Let us know how it turns out. 1 horse conch ought to be plenty for a trial.

 

[Chugwhump]

Top quality Queen Conch meat already skinned and tenderized is available at many seafood outlets.
While you could most certainly pick up some of the other species, it is an amazingly difficult process to clean them, skin them, and whatnot.
I have tried the whole queen conch thing when I was working in the Turks and Caicos Islands 20 years ago, and it is so very much easier to buy the meat already prepared.
Chug
Just my two pieces of copper plated zinc.

 

[Bob01]

Thanks to everyone for chiming in! Any pointers on how to get horse conch out of the shell? I found one guide, but it requires freezing....is there a way to do it without freezing?

Conch Shells are a thing of beauty and a Florida Keys favorite food

"The easiest way I’ve found to remove the meat from the shell is to freeze the whole shell. Soon as I get him to the dock I place him in a plastic grocery bag and stick it right in the freezer. I leave it in for a couple of day. I want to make sure he’s good and frozen. Next I put him into a five gallon bucket of freshwater. When it begins to thaw a bit I get my DeWALT drill and the smallest drill bit I have and drill a tiny hole in the groove at the third ring down from the point of the shell. Drilling this hole releases the suction that’s holding the mollusk in the shell. "

 

[Qaral]

Thanks to everyone for chiming in! Any pointers on how to get horse conch out of the shell? I found one guide, but it requires freezing....is there a way to do it without freezing?

Conch Shells are a thing of beauty and a Florida Keys favorite food

"The easiest way I’ve found to remove the meat from the shell is to freeze the whole shell. Soon as I get him to the dock I place him in a plastic grocery bag and stick it right in the freezer. I leave it in for a couple of day. I want to make sure he’s good and frozen. Next I put him into a five gallon bucket of freshwater. When it begins to thaw a bit I get my DeWALT drill and the smallest drill bit I have and drill a tiny hole in the groove at the third ring down from the point of the shell. Drilling this hole releases the suction that’s holding the mollusk in the shell. "

 

[Qaral]

The easiest way to get a conch out of the shell is to boil it for 2-5 minutes then just use a fork to remove the meat.