I was raised in the Florida Keys. Did you know that? Well now you do. We moved just before high school but all my childhood memories take place on a little island at the end of the Florida peninsula. So when I was making these it was purely out of necessity of not having had a conch fritter in years. And I have to say… I even impressed myself. I’ve tweaked them a bit since that first try but man did they taste like home.
The smell while making them was actually how I knew I was on the right track. Side note: Smell is usually the strongest trigger for memories, did you know that? Go try a perfume you used to wear all the time but haven’t in years and see what happens. In any case, frying these up brought me right back to Mallory square at sunset.
If you can get conch go for it. I cannot in the middle of the country. Nor would I trust it honestly. Shrimp works fine though. You might try scallops or crab. Crab might be a bit too flaky but it’s meatier than fish. I don’t think fish would work terribly well but if anyone wants to try please let us know if it works out in the comments.
The hardest part about this recipe was figuring out how to fry them. I never did get the perfect little balls served on Duval Street but I don’t use a deep fryer either. Instead I fill up my cast iron skillet with around 2 inches of oil and use that over medium heat. The other trick was not to make them too big. They puff out anyway so make them smaller than you think they should be. I had some trouble initially with the outside being too dark and the inside undercooked. A problem also solved by making them smaller.
It’s mentioned in the recipe notes but worth repeating that you really need red, yellow, or orange peppers in these. All green just won’t taste right. And they taste even sweeter if you throw half the veggies in a hot pan for a minute or two to char just slightly. You don’t want to cook them or lose any texture. Just bring some of the sugars out and add a layer of flavor from a few char marks.
I saw alot of dipping sauces that looked maybe mayo based with recipes but as a local I can say I’ve never eaten them with anything other than lemon wedges. So keep it simple silly!
Also, I never use a fork. That was for your benefit. I did eat three of these while trying to photograph them. That was for my benefit.
Seafood Fritters
Ingredients
Method
- Preheat your deep fryer or a a high walled skillet or pot with at least 2 inches of oil over medium heat.
- Chop all veggies into about 1/2 inch pieces. Place in large mixing bowl as finished. Add remaining ingredients in vegetable mix list and set aside.
- Preheat small skillet over medium low heat.
- Prep shrimp to be chopped (defrost, devein, remove shell and tail). Chop shrimp into 3/4 inch pieces. Add shrimp and seasonings for shrimp in small bowl and mix to coat.
- Optional :Add Tbsp of olive oil to small preheated skillet and add half of vegetable mix. Stir occasionally for 3 minutes until mix becomes fragrant and a few pieces become slightly charred in places.
- Add seasoned shrimp pieces to small skillet and cook till pink. Stirring occasionally to promote even cooking. Remove from heat and add to large mixing bowl with vegetables when cooked.
- In a medium mixing bowl combine batter ingredients and combine until smooth. Add to large bowl with vegetables and shrimp.
- Fry scoops of batter in hot oil using about 1 Tbsp per fritter. Place cooked fritter on paper towel lined plate to absorb extra oil. Cooling grate with paper towels underneath work well too. Can keep fritters in 200 degree oven to keep warm. Test one initially to check oil temperature, size of fritter and taste. Re-season or adjust batter as necessary. Serve with lemon or lime wedges.
Notes
- oil could be too hot, add more oil to cool
- fritters could be too large, scoop less
- too little oil, add more or use pot instead of skillet
- batter too thin, add more flour 1/4 C at a time
