COPPERWhat is the national dish of the Bahamas?
The national dish of the Bahamas is conch, a large sea snail with firm white flesh, and its classic plate is cracked conch with peas n' rice: conch pounded thin, dipped in egg and flour and fried, served with rice cooked with pigeon peas, salt pork and tomato paste. No decree makes it official, but conch is the dish every source names.
What is conch?
Conch (pronounced "konk") is a large tropical sea snail. The species eaten in the Caribbean is the queen conch, a mollusc with firm white flesh that is tough as rubber unless it is tenderised. It has been eaten in the Bahamas since the islands were settled by the Lucayan people.
Bahamian sources call conch "the" food of the Bahamas, and Wikipedia's article on Bahamian cuisine names it the national dish. There is no law behind that: the title is a matter of consensus, and the dish most often given is cracked conch with peas n' rice.
Bahamian cooking leans on seafood, rice, pigeon peas and pork, seasoned with hot pepper, lime, tomato, onion and garlic. Some dishes, such as fish and grits, are shared with the American South, and many local specialties are sold from roadside and beachside stands, such as the food shacks at Arawak Cay in Nassau.
Conch turns up in almost every form:
- Conch salad: raw conch "scorched" with lime, sometimes sour orange, and goat pepper.
- Cracked conch: pounded thin, battered and fried.
- Conch fritters: ground conch in a fried batter.
- Conch chowder and stewed conch: the soup and stew versions.
What is in cracked conch and peas n' rice?
Both halves of the plate use everyday Bahamian ingredients. Our verified recipes call for:
- For the cracked conch: 500 g of cleaned conch, 1 lime, hot sauce, 2 eggs, 200 ml of evaporated milk, 250 g of flour, salt, black pepper and about 750 ml of frying oil.
- For the peas n' rice: 100 g of salt pork or bacon, 1 onion, 1 celery stalk, 1 green bell pepper, 3 tablespoons of tomato paste, 400 g of pigeon peas, 400 g of long-grain rice, thyme and 1 goat pepper.
- On the side: tartar sauce and lime wedges.
How cracked conch is made
The name comes from the method, not the batter. To "crack" conch is to pound it with a mallet, or a frying pan as many island cooks prefer, until it is thin and tender. In our cracked conch recipe the meat goes into a freezer bag and is beaten to 2 to 3 mm. Skip that step and the conch stays rubbery.
The strips are cut about 3 cm wide, seasoned with lime, salt, pepper and hot sauce, and rested 15 minutes. They go into egg beaten with evaporated milk first, then into seasoned flour, never the other way round or the coating slides off. They fry at 175 °C for 2 to 3 minutes per side.
Bahamians compare it to British fish and chips. A cracked conch "dinner" comes with peas n' rice and a choice of sides such as baked macaroni and cheese, potato salad, sweet plantain or coleslaw.
Peas n' rice, the other half of the plate
Bahamian peas n' rice starts with diced salt pork fried until the fat runs. Onion, celery and green bell pepper soften in that fat, then 3 tablespoons of tomato paste cook for 3 minutes until they darken and smell sweet. That paste, not coconut milk, gives the rice its colour.
Pigeon peas, thyme and one whole goat pepper go in, then the rice, which is turned in the fat before the water is added. It cooks covered for 25 minutes without lifting the lid. This is the main difference from Jamaican rice and peas, which is cooked with coconut milk and usually kidney beans.
Conch fritters
For conch fritters, the conch is put through a meat grinder with onion, green pepper, celery and goat pepper, then folded into a batter of flour, baking powder, egg and water coloured with tomato paste. Spoonfuls fry at 175 °C for 4 to 5 minutes until they float and turn deep golden.
Time magazine once called them "the Bahamas' own original fast food". They are served hot with a dip of mayonnaise, ketchup, lime juice and hot sauce.
Other dishes to know from the Bahamas
Breakfast is often a soup: chicken souse with lime, potatoes and pepper, or boiled fish, served with johnny cake or grits. Guava duff is the dessert made for Independence Day on 10 July. Conch itself is under pressure, as the harvesting of young conch has hurt the population in recent years.
All three Bahamian recipes are on our page about the food of the Bahamas, and the rest of the region is in our guide to Caribbean food.
The recipes
- Cracked conch🇧🇸 Bahamas · 1 hour
Peas n' rice🇧🇸 Bahamas · 50 minutes
Conch fritters🇧🇸 Bahamas · 50 minutes
Questions people ask
Is conch officially the national dish of the Bahamas?
No law names it, but conch is the dish named by Bahamian tourism sources and by Wikipedia, so it is the national dish by consensus. The plate usually given is cracked conch with peas n' rice.
How do you pronounce conch?
Most people say "konk". "Konch" is also heard, especially in British English.
Why is it called cracked conch?
"Cracking" is the pounding that tenderises the meat with a mallet or frying pan before it is battered and fried.
What is served with cracked conch?
Peas n' rice, plus sides such as baked macaroni and cheese, potato salad, sweet plantain, coleslaw or fries.
Is Bahamian peas n' rice made with coconut milk?
No. It gets its colour and flavour from salt pork fat and tomato paste cooked until dark, with pigeon peas.
Keep reading
- Traditional food of the Bahamas: 12 dishes to know
- What is the national dish of Antigua and Barbuda?
- What is the national dish of Barbados?
- What is the national dish of Cuba?
- What is the national dish of Dominica?
- What is the national dish of the Dominican Republic?