Gullah Conch Stew

Name: Gullah Conch Stew
Prep time: PT0D0H0M
Cook time: PT0D5H0M
Total time: PT0D5H0M
Yield: 6–8
Ingredients: 2½ lb. fresh or frozen conch meat, coarsely chopped (5 cups); 12 oz. salt pork (or bacon or deli ham), coarsely chopped (2 cups); 1 celery rib, finely chopped; 1 garlic clove, finely chopped; 1 small sweet or yellow onion, finely chopped; ¼ cup all-purpose flour; ¼ cup vegetable oil; Steamed long-grain white rice, for serving

A long simmer yields wonderfully tender shellfish in this easy one-pot meal.

Serves
6–8
Time
5 hours

PHOTO: MURRAY HALL • FOOD STYLING: PEARL JONES

By Charlotte Jenkins

Published on September 9, 2024

“Mama didn’t pound the conches or grind them either. She would dice them, and that’s what we serve,” writes chef Charlotte Jenkins of this conch stew in her cookbook Gullah Cuisine. She served the beloved Gullah Geechee dish at her restaurant of the same name, the now-closed Gullah Cuisine in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina. Conch is a mainstay of Lowcountry cooking, starring in Gullah recipes from fritters to stews. Here, roughly chopped conch strikes the perfect balance between chewy and tender, while salt pork adds just the right amount of richness. Both proteins are cooked low and slow with plenty of aromatics until the stew is thick and glossy.

Featured in “Chef Charlotte Jenkins Is Spreading the Gospel of Gullah Cuisine” by Amethyst Ganaway.

Order the SAVEUR Selects Tri-Ply Stainless Steel Chef’s Pan here.

Ingredients

2½ lb. fresh or frozen conch meat, coarsely chopped (5 cups)
12 oz. salt pork (or bacon or deli ham), coarsely chopped (2 cups)
1 celery rib, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
1 small sweet or yellow onion, finely chopped
¼ cup all-purpose flour
¼ cup vegetable oil
Steamed long-grain white rice, for serving

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Instructions

Step 1

To a large pot, add the conch, pork, celery, garlic, onion, and 8 cups of water. Bring to a boil, then turn the heat to medium-low, cover the pot, and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the liquid is reduced by about a third, about 3 hours.

Step 2

To a small skillet over medium heat, add the flour and oil and cook, whisking continuously, until the flour turns brown, about 5 minutes. Stir the flour mixture into the stew and continue simmering over medium-low heat until the conch is tender, 1–2 hours.

Step 3

Serve over rice.

To a large pot, add the conch, pork, celery, garlic, onion, and 8 cups of water. Bring to a boil, then turn the heat to medium-low, cover the pot, and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the liquid is reduced by about a third, about 3 hours.
To a small skillet over medium heat, add the flour and oil and cook, whisking continuously, until the flour turns brown, about 5 minutes. Stir the flour mixture into the stew and continue simmering over medium-low heat until the conch is tender, 1–2 hours.
Serve over rice.