Conch, fish fry and johnny cake: a guide to Bahamian food

About Conch, fish fry and johnny cake: a guide to Bahamian food

By the ULTIMATE The Bahamas Editorial Team

Site Editor: Tara de la Motte

Ask a Bahamian what to eat and the answer is almost always conch. Here is how to order it, where to find it and what else belongs on your plate.

Conch, five ways

Conch is a large sea snail, and Bahamians eat it every way imaginable. Conch salad is raw conch diced with onion, sweet pepper and goat pepper to taste, then showered with lime and orange; the tropical version adds pineapple or mango. Cracked conch is pounded, seasoned, floured and deep-fried. Conch chowder is a dark, hearty soup with carrots and potatoes, stewed conch comes in bigger pieces over white rice, and conch fritters are the classic bar snack.

Beyond conch

Breakfast might be souse, a peppery broth with chicken, sheep tongue or other meats, onions and potatoes, served with grits or johnny cake, the local bread. Chicken-in-the-bag, fried chicken, fries and a roll, is the everyday comfort food. Out on the cays, Staniel Cay Yacht Club is known for its lime pie.

Diced raw conch, onion, sweet pepper and goat pepper, showered with lime and orange.

The Fish Fry

Arawak Cay was built in 1969 from sand dredged out of the harbour, and its Fish Fry is where Nassau goes to eat: a strip of colourful stalls cooking conch salad to order, fried fish and island classics, with chicken and chops for those who skip seafood. It stays busy from lunch until late.

The new Bahamian kitchen

A new generation is giving tradition a twist. The official tourism site profiles chefs such as Leonardis Moss, who believes fine dining can be authentically Bahamian, and Tevin Kemp, whose catch-and-cook features lionfish. For a guided taste of downtown, Tru Bahamian Food Tours’ three-hour walk stops at six specialty food shops and eateries.

Rum and rum cake

John Watling’s makes small-batch rum on a downtown estate established in 1789, with tours and a cocktail bar. Take home a rum cake from Tortuga on Bay Street or a Bacardi rum cake baked fresh by Purity Bakery, and look for the Goombay Smash, born on Green Turtle Cay in the Abacos.

Good to know

Conch salad is raw shellfish, so skip it if you have a shellfish allergy. Tipping is customary: 15 per cent is usual, but check the bill, as many places add the gratuity already.

Opening hours, prices and seasonal openings change, so please check with Conch, fish fry and johnny cake: a guide to Bahamian food before you go.