eat whelks?

[Distraction]

I noticed a whole bunch of whelks while spearfishing at the CBBT. I understand these are called 'Channeled Whelks', and in checking the regulations, don't see anything that prohibits taking a few by hand. (Conch pots are regulated, but without pots, not.)

Anyone ever eat them? I'm thinking conch-fritter style.

Are they any good? What's the best way to prep 'em?

[CTFreeDiver]

I have a dive buddy that buys them mixed in a cold, cream based, vegtable salad. I tried the concoction and didn't really care for it.

Give it a shot and post your recipe.

CT

[Slay Ride]

I ate some one time. Found welks and some mussels on an island while I was just messing around one weekend. Thought to myself "WTF I'll try anything once!" So I did. Hard to get out of the shell. Beat the crap out of the welks and made Welk fritters. Not bad. But I do beleive after beating the crap out of the Michelin Man, he wouldn't taste bad either. Now the mussels were awesome. Have gone back for those quite a few times. But I guess you didn't ask about that...............

[Chum Bucket]

kinda similar to queen conch. bust a hole near the top of the spire to break the mussels suction. pull out the meat, discard the entrails. you basically eat the foot (the meat between the operculum and the digestive tract). tenderize by pounding, season and fry. yeah i guess anything would taste good after all that, but if you like conch strips you'll probably like whelk. I prefer horse conchs over whelks though,and they are just as available in this area.

[OceanEd]

Chum:

Interesting. I have eaten quite a lot of conch in the Bahamas but I have never tried horse conch.

[Shark Byte]

someone help me here, because we catch horse conchs, and other whelks in our traps out back all the time, we also love to eat Queen Conch, marinated in Pick a Pepper, onion and lime, awesome, are we to understand that those horse conchs in my back yard are edible ?? If this is the case, conch salad for everyone

[Marcus]

I have a hand turn meat grinder that makes short order of a Conch. Conch fritter, Conch chowder, Conch salad, Conch...

Said device can be mounted on a board to a pole and stuck in a pole holder to create a chum slick, too.

[Chum Bucket]

horse conch is edible and legal to take outside of state parks and with a saltwater fishing license. most mollusks are edible, but like clams and oysters you dont want to eat em out of dirty water.