Lambi
Lambi is an original Haitian stew that includes freshconch, which is a large sea snail. There are not too many other places in theworld where conch is farmed and reproduced for food consumption purposes. Thatis why lambi is a real delicacy when you visit Haiti or any restaurant in theUnited States that serves lambi. If you enjoy fresh seafood that comes from the water,then you will enjoy the conch that is in lambi. But make sure you prepare thelambi for the stew right after you purchase it because it’ll lose itstenderness and elasticity if you freeze it first. Local Haitians typicallycatch their own conch and prepare it in a meal that very day. Other tastyingredients in the stew include fresh herbs, cloves garlic, peppers, and onion. Lambi is good to have for breakfast, lunch or dinner.Most Haitians will prepare this meal for lunch and dinner because it takes themtime to catch the conch needed to prepare it. In any case, lambi is a very richand tasty meal that any spicy seafood lover will enjoy immensely.
Ingredients
- 2 ½ lbs of Fresh Conch
- ¼ Cup of Lime or Lemon Juice
- 5 to 6 Cloves Garlic (Sliced)
- 1 Small Onion (Sliced, Round)
- 1/2 Cup of Thinly Sliced Bell Peppers
- 1 to 2 Stalks of Celery (Sliced)
- tsp of Salt
- ½ – 1 Bouillon Cube
- 1 tbsp of Salt-free Blended Herbs
- 1/8 tsp of Clove Powder
- 1 Scotch Bonnet
- 1 ½ tbsp of Cooking Margarine
- 1/3 Cup of Epis
- 2 tbsp of Tomato Paste
- 1/3 Cup of Oil
- ½ tbsp of Hot Pepper Sauce (Your Choice)
Instructions
- Clean the conch thoroughly. Chop up the conch meat intosmaller pieces. Put the conch meat pieces into a bowl and add garlic, epis,herbs (salt-free), and lemon juice to it. Fill the bowl with water up to thepoint where it covers all the conch meat. Three cups should be good enough.Stir the ingredients in the bowl and leave it on the side for a couple ofhours.
- Place a frying pan or skillet on your stove. Put oliveoil in the pan and turn the heat to medium high. Add the other ingredients fromthe bowl to the pan. Add the tomato paste and mix it with the ingredients inthe pan. Cover the pan with the lid. Let it all cook for up to 30 minutes, orwhenever you notice the conch to be tender.
- The water in the pan will probably evaporate throughoutthe cooking process. If that happens, add an extra cup of water to the pan. Youmight have to do this for three or four times until the ingredients are fullycooked.
- Use a fork to poke at the conch meat. That is how you cantell whether it is tender or not. If it is tender, then you can add hot pepper,salt, margarine, onion, celery, and bell peppers into the mix. You don’t needto cook these ingredients on a medium or high flame. Reduce the heat intensityto low or simmer and leave it alone for about 10 minutes.
- Once the 10 minutes has expired, add the bouillon cube and clove powderto the pan as the final two ingredients. Let those ingredients simmer in thepan on low heat for about 20 minutes. After that, you can turn off the heat tothe stove and let the ingredients sit covered in the pan until you’re ready toserve it. Don’t wait too long because it might get cold.
Video
Notes
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