Conch Fritters

Ingredients for Conch Fritters

2 cups freshly bruised conch, cleaned and diced
3 teaspoons tomato paste
1-1/2 Tablespoons flour
2 onions, diced
1 Bahamian sweet pepper, diced
2 stalks of celery, chopped
3 Tablespoons baking powder
3-4 cups vegetable oil
Hot Peppers and salt to taste

Combine all ingredients (except oil) in a large bowl. Blend well.

Heat oil in deep frying pan or pot until water dropped into oil sizzles.

Drop batter by the Tablespoonful into hot oil. Fry until brown.

Drain on paper towels and serve. Makes 40 fritters.

Dipping Sauce

• 2 tablespoons ketchup
• 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice, no subs
• 1 tablespoon mayonnaise
• 1 teaspoon Tabasco sauce, or
• 1 teaspoon Pickapeppa Sauce
• 1 to taste salt, to taste
• 1 to taste fresh ground black pepper, to taste

Grits and Grunts

Grits and Grunts Recipe
Ingredents:

1 1/2 to 2 pounds of grunt fillets
1 medium sweet onion
4 slices bacon
4 servings grits
1 medium tomato
slat and pepper
Blackening seasoning
2 Tbsp olive oil

Method:

Dice tomato into 1/4-to 1/2-inch pieces. Prepare grits as directed on the package. Fry bacon strips until crisp and remove. Chop onion and saute in bacon drippings. Buttery Pam or olive oil may be added if needed. Cut fish fillets into pieces thumb size to slightly larger. sprinkle fish pieces liberally with blackening seasoning. Preheat a covered grill to high. Spray a cast iron frying pan liberally with Buttery Pam. Place frying pan on grill and preheat for 15 minutes. Add two tablespoons of butter to frying pan and stir in fish pieces immediately. Close the grill and cook four to six minutes. While the fish is cooking, crumble the bacon and stir it and the sauteed onions into the grits. Salt and pepper to taste. Remove the fish from heat and frying pan. Spoon grits into plate and arrange fish around or beside it. Sprinkle diced tomato onto grits.

Cortez Fishing Village

This old fishing village on Sarasota Bay is an example of a dying way of life. started in the late 1800's by fisherman from the outer banks of North Carolina.
The fish houses date to the original founders of this village and still sell fresh fish . The Boat works is a working boatyard that goes back to 1928. The homes in the village are modest 1920s bungalows.

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Cortez is right off Cortez Road — State Road 684 outside Bradenton
Try the Star Fish Company & Restaurant for a cold beer and a fish sandwich.