Bahamian Conch or Scungilli Salad Recipe, by Sandy Estabrook. (2024)

FAQs

Is conch and scungilli the same? ›

Scungilli is taken from the Italian word sconsiglio, which is Neapolitan for conch, a type of sea snail. However, scungilli is actually considered a whelk, as conchs are found in the southern part of the Atlantic Ocean.

Conch is a good source of protein, as well as essential minerals like zinc, magnesium, and potassium. It is also low in fat and calories, making it a healthy option for those looking to maintain a balanced diet.

Also known as snail salad, scungilli salad is a popular dish in Italian-American cuisine. Made with sliced scungilli, celery, onion, parsley, and a garlicky red wine vinaigrette, it's delicious served as a first course or side dish to complement other Italian foods.

Soak conch in 1 cup lemon juice for at least 2 hours, preferably overnight. Drain off lemon juice and place conch in a bowl. Add tomatoes, onion, green pepper, cucumber, seasoning blend, and seasoned salt; mix thoroughly.

Overfishing in many of the locations in which the Queen conch is found has forced all but three conch-producing countries to ban fishing to protect populations, which it is predicted will not recover for decades.

It can be served cold, straight out of the can, or warmed, making it a versatile addition to salads, sauces, soups and more. Brimming with nutritional value, it is low in fat and high in protein and will become a staple in your kitchen.

Take time to tenderize.

To keep it tender, Bahamians like to use a meat tenderizer to pound the conch meat until it resembles a chicken cutlet. You can also use a rolling pin for this purpose. Another technique is to boil it in salted water for an hour–it will soften up as time passes.

Storage - Fresh or precooked conch is highly perishable and needs immediate refrigeration. Store fresh conch for up to one day, precooked conch is best if used within two days. After opening, canned conch should be covered with water and stored in an airtight container; refrigerate and use within three days.

Conch salad itself is prepared much like a basic ceviche in Latin American countries – the only difference being the use of conch over raw shrimp or a white fish.

Pre-cooked. Ready to eat from the can. Scungilli is a large spiral shelled mollusk.

What is the English of scungilli? ›

Sometimes scungille is used to mean the edible part of a mollusk, but it most often refers to conch meat. The conch has a large, distinctive spiral shell, and it's commonly eaten in many places including the West Indies and Puerto Rico.

But, as urban dictionaries indicate, we often use it to mean “a slow person who cannot perform ordinary tasks.” At a baseball game, for example, if an infielder for the home team keeps bobbling routine ground balls, we might say, “Get that scungille off the field.”

Seafood is a staple in the Bahamas. Conch, a large tropical mollusk (sea snail) with firm, white flesh, is the national dish of the Bahamas. Conch can be prepared in a number of ways: served raw with lime juice, raw vegetables and even fruit called conch salad.

About the Species. The queen conch is a large gastropod (snail) in phylum Mollusca.

Once finished, it tasted like a cross between Manhattan and New England clam chowder with the spice and smack of the Caribbean, while the coarse meatiness of the conch threw shade at its cousin, the clam.

A shankha shell (the shell of a T. pyrum, a species in the gastropod family Turbinellidae) is often referred to in the West as a conch shell or a chank shell.

Italian Translation. conchiglia. More Italian words for conch. la conchiglia noun. shell, seashell, shuck.

If you can't find canned scungilli at the grocery store—check the international aisle—you could substitute canned clams but, I'm REALLY hoping you'll try the scungilli because it's totally underappreciated and totally tasty.