Fresh-cracked Conch with Vanilla-Rum Sauce and Spicy Black Bean Salad
The conch is pounded for tenderness before it is delicately fried and served with a picante salad of black beans and mango. The vanilla-rum sauce is a decidedly tropical treat.
Ingredients
- Black Bean Salad
- Dried Black Beans - 1/4 cup
- Garlic Clove - 1
- Tomato - 1, peeled, seeded, and finely diced
- Mango - 1, peeled, seeded, and finely diced
- Green Onions - 3, thinly sliced, including some green
- Scotch bonnet (habanero) chilies - 1/2, seeded and minced
- Extra-Virgin Olive Oil - 3 tablespoons
- Fresh lime juice - 2 tablespoons
- Fresh Cilantro - 1 tablespoon, minced
- Fresh mint - 1 tablespoon, minced
- Red Onion - 1 tablespoon, minced
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
- Vanilla-Rum Sauce
- White Bacardi Rum - 1/4 cup
- Dark Bacardi Rum - 1/4 cup
- Sugar - 3 tablespoons
- Fresh lime juice - 1 tablespoon
- Shallot - 1 small, minced
- Vanilla bean - 1/2
- Unsalted Butter - 1 cup (2 sticks), cut into 1/2-inch pieces
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
- Shelled Conch - 4 to 5, (1 to 1-1/2 pounds)
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
- Eggs - 2, beaten
- Milk - 1/4 cup
- Unbleached All-purpose flour - 1 cup
- Fresh Breadcrumbs - 1 cup
- Clarified Butter - 1/2 cup
- Garnish
- Red Bell Pepper - 3 tablespoons, finely diced
- green onion, white and tender green part - 3 tablespoons, finely diced
- Key lime wedges - 6
Instructions
To make the salad: Two days before serving, rise and carefully pick over the black beans. Cover them with cold water and let soak overnight. In a medium saucepan, combine the beans and garlic and add enough water to cover. Bring the beans to a boil over high heat, reduce heat, and simmer until the beans are tender, 1 to 1-1/2 hours.
Drain the beans and rinse with cool water. Drain again and place them in a medium bowl. Add the tomato, mango, green onions, chili, oil, lime juice, cilantro, mint, and onion. Season with salt and pepper, mix well, and adjust seasoning as necessary. Cover and chill overnight.
To make the sauce: In a heavy, medium non-aluminum saucepan over medium heat, combine the rums, sugar, lime juice, and shallot. Split the vanilla bean lengthwise and scrape the seeds into the pan, then drop in the pods. Boil the mixture, stirring so that the sugar melts but does not caramelize. When the mixture has reduced to 3 tablespoons, whisk in the butter a few pieces at a time. Do not let the sauce boil; if the pan gets too hot, pull it off the heat as the final butter is added. Strain the sauce into a bowl, season with salt and pepper, and keep warm over tepid water or in an insulated container.
To prepare the conch: Cut the conch on the diagonal into 1/4-inch-thick slices. Place a sheet of plastic wrap over each medallion and use a mallet to pound the meat as thin as possible. Season the conch with salt and pepper. In a shallow bowl, combine the eggs and milk and whisk until blended. Place the flour in another shallow bowl, and place the breadcrumbs in a third shallow bowl.
Just before serving, heat the clarified butter in a heavy large saute pan or skillet over medium heat. Dip each slice of conch into the flour, then into the egg mixture, and finally into the breadcrumbs. The breading should be only a light, thin layer. Fry the conch until lightly golden brown on both sides, about 45 seconds on the fist side, and 30 seconds on the second. Drain the conch on paper towels and lightly salt it.
To serve: Place about 2 tablespoons of the bean salad in the center of each serving plate. Spool three pools of vanilla sauce around the salad and place three slices of conch between the pools of sauce. Sprinkle some of the red pepper and green onion over the sauce, and place a wedge of lime on each plate.
