Conch Salad with Watermelon or Pimentade de Lambi
Conch Salad with Watermelon or Pimentade de Lambi is a blend of conch meat herbs, spices, hot pepper, and watermelon. A Caribbean seafood salad to serve as an appetizer, snack, or with grilled meat, poultry or seafood.
This recipe is also called Pimentade de Lambi (Pimentade Conch) and is served alone or with bread.
Throughout my adult years, I have learned to keep certain friends around. The ones who matter the most to me even if they keep reminding me that I need to cook for them when they are thousands of miles away.
The real pleasure in seeing them is to look at how we are physically aging. I know I am mean, but it is hilarious. We talk about “hitting the town,” dancing and have fun as if we are still in our twenties. Who are we kidding! It is always the same thing.
The best times are always when we get a chance to dine together. Food not only brings people together, but it is also a way to have the best fun ever. We enjoy cooking food that reminds us of our childhood. We talk about food, share childhood stories, laugh, and cry together. Those are indeed great times to remember and share with our kids.
Enough rambling, let’s talk about the recipe.
The recipe for Conch Salad with Watermelon or Pimentade de Lambi
So to go back to the recipe, I am posting my Pimentade de Lambi avec Melon or Pimentade Conch with Watermelon to tease my friend Frero who, since January 2014, has placed his food order. One of his requests includes Conch Creole. I thought it would be fair enough to tease him just a little bit with my Conch Salad with Watermelon or Pimentade de Lambi. Sorry Charles! Your order has been placed; no changes are allowed.
Pimentade de Lambi avec Melon or Pimentade Conch with Watermelon is literally a conch salad with watermelon added. This recipe would have been perfect if I lived close to the ocean, or if I was able to buy freshly caught conch.
The cooking process is much simpler when the conch is fresh, and it tastes better also. With the frozen conch, because the meat is very tough, it is best to split the thicker section in half for faster cooking.
A pressure cooker is always needed to cook conch. Usually, 45 minutes to 60 minutes is the average cooking time. Once the meat is tender, any dishes can be created quickly.
Cooking the conch is the same as the process as in the recipe for Conch Creole or Conch en sauce. The only exception is that the creole sauce is not included.
The conch meat is marinated with sour orange juice, hot peppers (habanero or scotch bonnet pepper), shallots, salt, pepper, parsley, and watermelon added before serving. This recipe will taste better if prepared a day ahead and mixed with watermelon. The Conch salad will have sufficient time to absorb the flavors of the spices and taste delicious.
How to serve the Conch Salad with Watermelon or Pimentade de Lambi
You can serve the salad with or accompany with the following:
- Fried Plantains, fried yucca or plantain chips
- Make lettuce wraps
- Serve with another side salad at your next barbecue.
- Bread or crackers
Other conch recipes to enjoy
Tools you may need
Enjoy Conch Salad with Watermelon or Pimentade de Lambi.
Conch Salad with Watermelon or Pimentade de Lambi
Ingredients
Using fresh conch
- 2 lbs conch meat
- 2 tbsp hot peppers sliced thin (habanero or scotch bonnet)
- 8 oz of sour orange juice or 1 cup
- 1/2 cup shallots chopped
- 2 tsp kosher salt or sea salt
- 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
- 2 tbsp fresh parsley chopped
- 2 tbsp fresh lemon or lime juice
- 1 1/2 to 2 cups watermelon cut in cubes
If you're using frozen conch the following ingredients are needed to cook the conch in a pressure cooker
- 2 pounds conch meat
- juice of 1 lime or lemon
- 2 scallions chopped
- 2 sprigs parsley
- 1 sprig thyme
Instructions
Using fresh conch
- Take the conch, clean first by rinsing under running water. With a kitchen mortar flatten the thicker part of the conch, then cut into small pieces. Place in a bowl.
- Add the thinly sliced hot pepper, sour orange, chopped shallots, salt, black pepper, chopped parsley, lemon or lime juice and marinate for a few hours or overnight.
- Add the watermelon before serving.
Using frozen conch (thawed)
- Make sure the conch pieces are completely thawed.
- Rinse the conch under running water. With a sharp knife, split the thicker part in half.
- Place the conch pieces in a pressure cooker. Add the garlic cloves, scallions, lemon juice, parsley and thyme, cover and cook for about 45 – 55 minutes or until fully cooked.
- Remove from the cooking liquid and cut into small pieces. Place the pieces into a bowl. Add the sliced hot pepper, sour orange, shallots, salt, black pepper, parsley, lemon or lime juice and marinate for a few hours or overnight.
- Add watermelon 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.
