Comments on: Slaughter on Slaughter Beach

By: Heather

Heather — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 23:39:56 +0000

hello neighbor-

I grew up at Slaughter Beach and have eaten the conch many times. What else were you catching in the bay? My cousin Wendy and I meet at SB every 4th of July with our kids. We must have just missed you.

By: Maxx Tam

Maxx Tam — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 02:26:44 +0000

Hi Kian,

It was so great to visit you in NYC earlier this month. I’ve never been to Harlem…of course this was my first time to NYC. Anyway, I really enjoyed your cooking there…what little Kevinn gave me. And it looks like you had quite a weekend in Delaware. After NYC, Jim and Kevinn & I went to Montauk; I think we ate seafood for every dinner. I know you’ll think I’m crazy, but I didn’t like the lobster. Our host Paul steamed 3 lobsters, each over 2 lbs! I swear, they were as long as I am! Love, Maxx

By: zenchef

zenchef — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 02:03:09 +0000

Kian, looks like you had a wonderful week-end complete with a big bowl of fresh marine air. Man, i’m jealous! Look at these beauties! Wow. I didn’t know they were called whelks either. You taught me something once again. And your recipe looks very interesting. I’m gonna have to start experimenting with Chinese food more!

Oh and I finally posted about the award! (i know i’m late hehe) Thanks again!

By: Kian

Kian — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 12:35:08 +0000

I do believe the Japanese eat whelk sashimi. I’ve not had them raw however. I’d be interested in trying some.

By: Kirstin

Kirstin — Sat, 12 Jul 2008 20:15:11 +0000

I’ve never had conch or whelk either. Is it ever eaten raw, in a shasami style or otherwise? Great recipes, thanks.

By: Kian

Kian — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 03:00:49 +0000

christine, OK, here is what you do to get the mollusk out of its shell. You can either crack the shell, or par-boil the entire shell in boiling water for about three minutes. It is almost impossible to pull the mollusk out when it is still alive. You will end up breaking the flesh.

In any event it is important to have the meat slightly cooked even before cleaning and slicing. If you crack the shell you’ll want to par-boil the meat as well. When cleaning do cut off the darker parts and the antenna like parts of the mollusk. Also slice off the darker skin on the white meat section. You will only use the white part of the meat.

Pancake mix is not essential. You can use 1 1/2 cups of flour mixed with 2 teaspoon of baking powder instead in the above recipe.

By: christine

christine — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 22:02:12 +0000

Do you know that I’ve never had conch or whelk? For shame.

Quick question, should I happen to find one or the other, for your fritters, do you precook the conch and how? Quick dip in some boiling water? Saute?

Thanks!

By: Kian

Kian — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 20:35:08 +0000

js, Both whelk and conch taste very similar. They taste like clam but a little bit more chewy. They can get very rubbery if overcooked. They are often cut into slices or small dice so can be cooked very quickly. You can often find them on pasta in Italian restaurants as scungilli sauce.

You can substitute conch for whelk in both the recipes in this post.

By: [eatingclub] vancouver || js

[eatingclub] vancouver || js — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 15:09:20 +0000

I’ve never had whelk, I don’t think, Western or Eastern style. I do see conch on sale at the local supermarket, so I might give it a try. What does whelk taste like?