Tag: conch

Food and Drink in the Bahamas

It’s not far from the states, and there are a lot of Canadians and Americans here, so the food and drink in the Bahamas isn’t very different from home. As long as you are willing to pay, you can get almost everything you want in the shops and restaurants.

Conch

The national food of Bahamas is conch for good reason! The shellfish is so plentiful here and they make some delicious dishes with it.

Conch Dishes Ranked

Here is my ranking of the conch dishes in Bahamas:

  1. Conch salad. Similar to a ceviche in that the chunks of fish are cooked in citrus and then mixed with veggies. Peppers, red onion and maybe some hot sauce. Simple, fresh and delicious
  2. Conch chowder. We’ve had two versions: one in a red broth in Nassau, and a yellow chowder in Clarence Town.  Both had generous chunks of conch and a little kick of spice.
  3. Cracked conch. Lightly fried but with lots of meaty conch.
  4. Conch fritters, which usually just taste like fried dough, so I pass on this dish.
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Boating Around The Berry Islands

We’ve been in The Bahamas over a week and most of it has been spent enjoying the beautiful weather and clear waters boating the Berry Islands.

Great Harbor Cay

Though adjacent to a cruise line-owned island and home to an airport, Great Harbor Cay feels remote. A great introduction to the Berry Islands for us, we spent 3 nights anchored here. The island is occupied by only 350 or so people, and all of those we interacted with were warm and open; two different people gave us rides. We spent an afternoon traversing the island and the town of Bullocks Harbor by foot, visiting a couple of restaurants, a stunning beach, the marina, and the grocery store.

Colorful town of Great Harbor Cay, Berry Islands, Bahamas
Colorful town of Great Harbor Cay
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So Much To Do In Key West

When someone mentions Key West, you think sunshine, music and beachy cocktails. Having come from there just now, yes, yes and yes but so much more too! We found there was a lot to do in Key West, and here are our recommendations.

About Key West

Key West is known as Margaritaville after Jimmy Buffet, who lived and worked on boats there in his 20s. Much of the music style heard in the bars on Duval Street today is a descendent of Buffett’s “yacht rock”.

Key West street scene
Busy Key West streets

We learned a lot of bits of history on our tour with Key Lime Bike Tours, an entertaining 3 hour roll through the town’s highlights. Bike tours are generally a good way to get an overview and see a lot of a new place and this one was no different!

Key West is also known as The Conch Republic and got that name after a P.R. succession from the union to protest a government roadblock at the entrances to The Keys. It worked! Locals call themselves conches ever since.

We loved The Conch Republic and its residents. They embrace weirdness and like to have fun. Like Nashville and New Orleans, the bars are open early and full of live music. The restaurants are also good, serving local seafood and Cuban cuisine.

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