Conch Meat with Butternut Squash and Snow Peas
Enjoy this Conch Meat with Butternut Squash and Snow Peas, a complete seafood dinner filled with yummy vegetables, perfect for family supper. An updated version of our Conch Creole recipe (Lambi Creole) with fresh butternut and crispy snow peas.
When you are running out of ideas for conch but still want to make a healthy, nutritious, and filling seafood meal, this recipe could be your answer. This is not a typical Caribbean dish; this is my creation. I developed this recipe to add more healthy options to my meal plan.
This conch meal is packed with flavors and healthy ingredients. This could be a great recipe to add to your monthly meal plan as long as you can find a good deal on conch meat.
Conch is also called Lambi in Haiti. Conch meat is indeed expensive and is considered a gourmet treat when served at special events. Not too many people enjoy this shell meat. It is also true that the texture is not liked by many. It is chewy, and if not cooked and seasoned well, it will be tasteless.
Healthy Conch Recipe
This conch recipe uses lots of fresh herbs, with cubes of butternut squash and fresh snow peas. The herbal mixture gives this dish authentic Caribbean flavors and keeps it fresh and light. If you love conch creole, try it with one of the healthiest winter vegetables, the butternut squash. This is a satisfying meal all in one.
The ingredients you will need for the recipe
- Conch: found in West Indian, Asian and Spanish supermarkets. This type of seafood may not be available in an upscale supermarket. But you can ask your fish monger.
- Lemon Juice: fresh squeezed juice is best with this recipe.
- Parsley: fresh and about 4 – 6 sprigs are needed.
- Garlic Cloves: a great way to season seafood is with garlic. Fresh is always better.
- Olive Oil: use regular olive oil or extra virgin olive oil.
- Tomatoes: only use juicy tomatoes such as campari, grapevine, heirlooms, or beefsteaks tomatoes.
- Leek: only the white and the light green parts are used as they cook much faster.
- Onion: use white or yellow onion.
- Green Pepper: only half of the green pepper is needed. The whole green pepper is not recommended but it is an exception if you making this recipe for more people.
- Thyme: fresh or dried will work.
- Butternut Squash: about 1 – 1 1/2 cups is necessary. If you buy a whole squash, you can use the remaining to make Sage Chicken with Roasted Butternut Squash.
- Snow Peas: use only fresh. Do not use frozen.
- Salt and Pepper: to season the dish. You can also use other mixed spices.
- Noubess Fish and Seafood Seasoning: this seasoning blend is salt-free and packs a lot of great flavors.
How to make Conch Meat with Butternut Squash and Snow Peas
The first step is to cook the conches. This process is long as it can take up to one hour in a pressure cooker and longer if using a dutch oven or a heavy bottom saucepan.
First, the seafood is cleaned, kept whole, and added to a pressure cooker with garlic cloves, freshly squeezed lemon juice, and fresh parsley. Once cooked, cut the conches into smaller pieces. The pieces are then pan-fried with fresh herbs and spices in a fresh tomato-based sauce to create a smooth sauce. The squash is added and cooked halfway before adding the snow peas.
The mixture is seasoned to taste and served with rice as a complete meal or boiled root vegetables or plantains.
How to clean snow peas:
Place snow peas on a cutting board. Use a sharp knife to trim the ends and remove the thin string from both sides of the snow pea. This will make the snow peas more tender.
Tips and Notes to make this recipe.
- Lambi/Conch is usually sold frozen packaged in a large box, or sold individually by the pound. Sometimes it is also sold in smaller packaging.
- Thoroughly defrost the conch if frozen.
- If you buy the conch meat from the supermarket, it may have already been cleaned. All you have to do is give it a quick rinse in a lemon-based water. Butterfly the thickest part of the conch – meaning with a sharp knife and with the conch on a cutting board, slice open the thickest part but dont separate it – keep the conch meat whole.
- A kitchen mallet or pounder can be used to soften the thickest part of the conch meat as well.
- It is best to use a pressure cooker. This way the lambi/conch will cook much faster.
- Always cook the conch meat whole and then slice. This way you will end up with nicer bite size pieces. When you cut the meat before cooking the pieces will shrink even more.
- Only cook the conches with parsley, garlic, water and lemon juice in the pressure cooker. Some people choose to add a little bit of milk which is fine but not necessary. I have tried it and did not notice any difference in texture.
- Cook the tomatoes down first before adding the conch meat.
- Do not discard the cooking liquid. Use it to create the sauce.
- Do not overcook the butternut squash or you will end up with squash purée.
- Snow peas do not take long to cook. Add them last and only cook for a few minutes. Keep them crispy.
- This recipe contain your normal herbs and spices. You can use fish and food seasoning, oyster sauce, or fish sauce. Be aware that both the oyster sauce and fish sauce contains lots of sodium.
- Follow this recipe to cook the conch in your pressure cooker.
Follow this recipe to make the Creole Conch or Haitian Lambi recipe.
Conch Creole
Ingredients
- 4 conch cleaned
- 4 garlic cloves
- 1 bouquet garni thyme, parsley
- 3 – 4 juicy tomatoes medium size, or about 1 cup
- 2 scallions chopped roughly
- 4 chives finely chopped
- 1 sprig fresh flat parsley finely chopped
- 1 sprig fresh thyme
- 2 hot peppers Scotch Bonnet or Habanero or 1/4 teaspoon Hot and Spicy Original with Herbs
- Juice of 2 limes
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 medium onion julienned
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Seafood seasoning optional
Instructions
- In a large heavy bottom pot or a pressure cooker, make a court bouillon with the conches, the bouquet garni, 2 scallions, 1 hot pepper, and 1 crushed garlic clove. Cook for about 40 to 50 minutes until fully cooked in a pressure cooker. Boil for a longer period of time on a stovetop if using a heavy bottom pan (this process will take about 1hr 30 mins or 2 hours). Strain the liquid and set aside.
- Cut the conches into pieces. Finely mince the chives and parsley. Crushed the remaining garlic.
- Quarter tomatoes and remove seeds. In a pan, heat oil, add garlic, and minced herbs. Add tomatoes and let cook until the tomatoes have released all their juices. Add conch pieces and let pan-fried for a few minutes. Add conch cooking liquid mixed with lime juice. Add 1 whole pepper, onion, and thyme. Cover and let simmer on medium heat for 15 to 20 minutes. Remove pepper before serving.
Notes
Nutrition
Please keep in mind that nutritional information is a rough estimate and can vary greatly based on the products used.
Nutrition info is automatically generated and provided as a courtesy and as an estimate only.
Here’s the recipe to make Conch Meat with Butternut Squash and Snow Peas
Conch Meat with Butternut Squash and Snow Peas
Ingredients
- 4 conches cleaned
- 4 garlic cloves
- 1 bouquet garni thyme parsley
- 2 scallions chopped roughly
- 1 hot pepper Scotch Bonnet or Habanero whole –
- 4 chives finely chopped optional – add more scallions if you can’t find chives – about 1 – 2 depending on size.
- 1 sprig fresh flat parsley finely chopped
- 1 sprig fresh thyme
- Juice of 2 limes
- 4 tbsp olive oil
- 3 – 4 juicy tomatoes medium size or about 1 cup
- 1 leek slice thin
- ½ green pepper sliced
- 1 medium onion sliced
- ½ cup snow peas cleaned
- 1 – 1 ½ cup butternut squash bite-size cubes
- 2 tsp Noubess Fish and Seafood Seasoning
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Follow the recipe to make conch creole or Haitian Lambi first. But only follow the instructions on how to boil the conches in the pressure cooker.
- In a large heavy bottom pot or a pressure cooker, make a court bouillon with the conches, the bouquet garni, 2 scallions, 1 hot pepper, and 1 crushed garlic clove. Cook for about 40 to 50 minutes until fully cooked in a pressure cooker. Boil for a longer period of time on a stovetop if using a heavy bottom pan (this process will take about 1hr 30 mins or 2 hours). Strain the liquid and set it aside.
- Follow the instructions below to continue making this dish
- Once the conches are cooked, cut them into smaller pieces or bite-size pieces.
- Finely mince the leek and 2 parsley sprigs. Crushed the remaining garlic.
- Quarter tomatoes and remove seeds. In a large saucepan, heat oil, add garlic, and minced herbs. Add tomatoes and let cook until the tomatoes have released all their juices. Add conch pieces and let pan-fried for a few minutes.
- Add thyme sprigs, onion, green pepper, and fish seasoning. Mixed and add enough conch cooking liquid to cover the meat. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Add butternut squash and mix to incorporate. Cook the squash halfway through.
- Add snow peas and continue cooking for another 5-7 minutes. Do not overcook the squash or snow peas. The snow peas much stay crunchy.
- Season to taste before serving.
- Serve with rice as a complete meal or boiled root vegetables or plantains.
Notes
Place snow peas on a cutting board. Use a sharp knife to trim ends and remove the thin string from both sides of the snow pea. This will make the snow peas more tender.
- Lambi/Conch is usually sold frozen packaged in a large box or sold individually by the pound. Sometimes it is also sold in a packaging of 4.
Thoroughly defrost the conch if frozen. - If you buy the conch meat from the supermarket, it may have already been cleaned. All you have to do is give it a quick rinse in lemon-based water. Butterfly the thickest part of the conch – meaning with a sharp knife and with the conch on a cutting board, slice open the thickest part but don’t separate it – keep the conch meat whole.
- A kitchen mallet or pounder can be used to soften the thickest part of the conch meat.
- It is best to use a pressure cooker. This way, the lambi/conch will cook much faster.
- Always cook the conch meat whole and then slice. This way, you will end up with nicer bite-size pieces. When you cut the meat before cooking, the pieces will shrink even more.
- Only cook the conch with parsley, garlic, water, and lemon juice in the pressure cooker. Some people choose to add a little bit of milk which is fine but unnecessary. I have tried it and did not notice any difference in texture.
- Cook the tomatoes down first before adding the conch meat.
- Do not discard the cooking liquid. Use it to create the sauce.
- Do not overcook the butternut squash, or you will end up with squash purée.
- Snow peas do not take long to cook. Add them last and only cook for a few minutes. Keep them crispy.
- This recipe contains your normal herbs and spices. You can use fish and food seasoning, oyster sauce, or fish sauce. Be aware that both the oyster sauce and fish sauce contain lots of sodium.
Nutrition
Please keep in mind that nutritional information is a rough estimate and can vary greatly based on the products used.
Nutrition info is automatically generated and provided as a courtesy and as an estimate only.
