no conch from the Bahamas?

[reef roamer]

we are getting the itch to go to Grand Cay, Bahamas again this summer, planning on eating lots of conch and hog fish. just found out No conch is to be brought in the US even if was purchased and with a receipt. what is with this new law. i don't understand why it can be flown in commercially for sale, wholesale, but we can not bring in even one with a receipt . thats just wrong, we need some conch, i don't like the ones they send over for wholesale because they are the big old, tough as shoe leather ones. is this rule for real or is someone giving me bad info from being harassed by FWC?

signed, hungry for conch

[FinalPoint]

This is absolutely true! Of course, sometimes different FWC guys seem to have different opinions on the same laws, but I believe this is one they have "cracked" down on (pun intended, yes lame joke). Some fresh delicious conch, no matter how fresh and delicious, is not worth the fine.

Sorry to inform you of the bad news. Hopefully the regs change on this.

[FEEL da STEEL->]

It's not just FWC enforcing this...I was told directly from an ICE officer (Customs & Imigration) that they are also enforcing this law!

I guess for now Sheila's, on southern & Dixie, will have to satisfy the urge for conch salad!!

[kmoose]

So what are queen conch alternatives for us? Has anyone tried queen helmets, horse conch, milk, welks, crown? If there is a good option I sure would be open to try it.

[FredT]

Horse is WAY tough, but edible. Treat it like Abalone. Slice it thin across the grain, then beat each slice until your arm gets tired, then change arms and beat on that slice some more. Best repeatedly ground and used in fritters or lime cooked salads. As a substitute for clams in chowder it does reasonably well if very carefully skinned of the orange surface skin. Even a tiny bit of that in the chowder will make a New England chowder look like a Manhattan.

Fighting conch aren't bad but it's a bitch to clean enough of them for a good salad. OTOH the resulting pile of shells on the ant den is huge. If cleaning fighting conch a good autoclave is handy. Just bring the heat up and fast dump the pressure, it blows them out of the shell in mass, and it's faster to do a few batches, then clean the autoclave, than hand clean them one by one. We would do a couple of bushels of them at a time when doing the starving student thing.

Milk conch are right up there among the best laxatives you'll ever find. Avoid those if possible. I know the Bahamians do.

Most of the helmets are edible.

[fishkillerjim]

Originally Posted by kmoose

So what are queen conch alternatives for us? Has anyone tried queen helmets, horse conch, milk, welks, crown? If there is a good option I sure would be open to try it.

One time in Mexico I saw a girl try a hoarse conch ... she couldn't handle it.

[flspearin]

i will always grab a horse if I see it. Sliced this makes awesome sushi, and if you tenderize it with a hammer it fries up quite nice.

[kmoose]

Thanks guys, I'm going to give it a shot. Anyone try welks? We see some big ones at times and I have considered them as well.

[reef roamer]

this is just not right at all. guess the alternative is move back to the Bahamas or eat horse conch. i see some giant horse conch out on the reef, just never thought about eating them, still a little leery about that big red mollusk. nah, forget it they are to few of them. just don't understand how they can ship them in, but we can't. something is a little fishy about that. wonder if you can fly in with some.

[French]

i load up on conch behind victory cay, there are thousands there.

As for bringing them home, if your on a center console dont even try. if your on a big sporty, just throw them in a drawer somewhere if you get pulled. (IF!) Ive crossed back home with conch atleast 30 times on a sporty and have been pulled over. they never checked the fridge or anything in the cabin. as for going on a CC dont even try it, they check every nook and cranny

[smilinmatt]

Milk conch are right up there among the best laxatives you'll ever find. Avoid those if possible. I know the Bahamians do.

I've heard that as well, but I've eaten milk conch since they closed queen conch (lived in the Keys at the time). I've never experienced any of the "negative" effects from eating them. It does take about 3 milk conch to equal the meat of one queen conch. That might be the main reason that Bahamians leave them alone.

[kmoose]

Originally Posted by reef roamer

this is just not right at all. guess the alternative is move back to the Bahamas or eat horse conch. i see some giant horse conch out on the reef, just never thought about eating them, still a little leery about that big red mollusk. nah, forget it they are to few of them. just don't understand how they can ship them in, but we can't. something is a little fishy about that. wonder if you can fly in with some.

Pack them inside blocks of cocaine..... They'll never find it!

[LunkerBuster]

Any one have a good set of pics or rule to ID these different conch?

[reef roamer]

Originally Posted by kmoose

Pack them inside blocks of cocaine..... They'll never find it!

Really, lol. why didn't i think of that don't worry i'll get my conch one way or the other.

[aquaMaureen]

I have conch in the freezer.. and iiimmm nnnnot sharring