Bahamas: Conch Fritter and Peas n’ Rice

We’re in the B’s y’all, and we’re kicking it off with beautiful Bahamas! I’ll be honest- I really only know Nassau from a few cruises I’ve been on (bachelorette parties, am I right?), but after making these Bahamian dishes, I wish I would have had more time to go more off the beaten path to some of the less touristy islands and tried some of the fresh seafood and local cuisine.

Bachelorette party fun in Nassau!

As you might guess, it’s hard to get fresh seafood all the way out here in Colorado, so when I found canned conch on Amazon, I decided to to make conch fritters! I also thought conch would be fun to try since, growing up in Florida, my mom and aunt used to use a conch shell to call us in for dinner!

Canned conch! Doesn’t look that appetizing, but it was so delicious in the fritters!

The conch fritters were sooo yummy and surprisingly less greasy than expected. I also loved that the recipe included peppers, onions and celery, which made them feel a little more “healthy.” They were served with a delicious dipping sauce made from ketchup, mayo, lime and pickapeppa sauce, which is a bit like Worcestershire sauce.

To go with the conch fritters, I made peas n’ rice, which is a super common Bahamian dish. I also realllly wanted to make guava duff, which is a guava past and dough roll up that’s steamed and topped with rum butter, but unfortunately I couldn't find guava paste anywhere in Denver.

Bahamian peas ‘n rice is traditionally made with pigeon peas (which are firmer and less sweet than your typical green pea), rice, tomatoes, salted pork or bacon, onions, thyme and browning sauce. This dish felt like comfort food to me. It was SO savory and filling and I could have eaten the whole pot! Fortunately there was plenty of leftovers!

Peas n’ Rice. SOOOO good!

Overall, I loved this meal! I’m still disappointed I couldn’t make the guava dull, but maybe I’ll do a separate post for that if I ever end up finding guava paste!