Conch for Dinner

Conch for Dinner   …   Thursday 31 Jan 2013

This morning the first of our three propane tanks ran dry, thankfully after we had finished our morning coffee. We last refilled the tanks prior to leaving Vero Beach so we have used one 10lb tank in a month, which seems pretty reasonable to me. We pulled out the tank and headed in to Marsh Harbor in the dinghy to get it refilled and also to see if we could pick up a chart book for Eleuthera which we failed to get before leaving the US. The dinghy ride proved to be very wet as the wind was blowing about 15-20 mph from the south west and there was quite a bit of chop in the harbor. We left the propane tank at a local store with the promise that it would be refilled by 4pm, but couldn't find the charts and so headed back to Cotinga. I went back in to town in the afternoon to pick up the tank, which was ready and waiting as promised, and also to explore a little more. Marsh Harbor is the third biggest town in the Bahamas and has a number of surprisingly good services. Despite this, it doesn't look like a wealthy community and outside of the main business areas the houses seem a pretty run down. However, I'm continually impressed with just how friendly everyone is, not just the people you interact with in shops, but everyone you pass on the street seems to say hello with friendly smile. Whilst wandering around I came across Gregory the "Conch Man" sitting on a small skiff with a load of ~ 400 conch. Chatting with him and a couple of other visitors I was encouraged to buy a few conch. Gregory made the process of removing the conch from their shells look really easy - a few sharp taps with a hammer to break a hole in the apex of the shell, poke in a  knife to release the snail and then trim off various bits to leave the white meet. I was third in line to get my 4 conch and by the time Gregory had prepared my order there was quite a crowd gathered. I made a quick trip to the supermarket to buy additional ingredients and then headed back the boat. Based on the advice of the people I had met in town we prepared conch salad - with tomatoes, onion, peppers and limes - and also pulverized some conch with a hammer and made cracked conch with plantains and fried tomatoes. All in all it turned out be a very pleasant dinner. I feel a little guilty as Dave and Kathy were very keen to eat conch but it was something we never got around to doing. During the afternoon the wind swung round to the north and we are now rocking gently on the anchor.

...  p.s. we would really welcome any comments ... it can feel a bit isolated down here !

Mike

One of the poorer areas near the port of Marsh harbor

Washing Day

Gregory - the Conch Man   ... he looks a little stern in this photo but he was actually very jovial

Conch Salad

Cracked conch, sauted plantains and tomatoes