Bahamian Conch Salad
by Sommer Collier — last updated on Aug 4, 2025 
Enjoy a taste of the Caribbean at home with this refreshing raw seafood dish. Our authentic Bahamian Conch Salad Recipe is delicious to serve as an appetizer or side with your favorite Bahamian foods!
Why We Love Homemade Caribbean Conch Salad
Disclaimer: Consuming any raw meat (or egg) does come with certain risks. Be sure to use fresh, high-quality conch and serve this dish shortly after preparing. Do not make more than 24 hours ahead.
You know those dishes you get on vacation that you simply cannot stop thinking about when you get home? Well, this Bahamian Conch Salad is #1 at the top of my “when can we go back because I need to eat THAT” again list.
Refreshing, crunchy, tangy, and bright, Conch Salad is a raw seafood dish we look forward to eating every time we visit the Bahamas. Seriously, the moment we step off the plane, we head straight to the harbor where the Conch Man is making fresh salads to order.
But even if you aren’t able to make a trip to the Caribbean, it’s easy to get a taste of the islands right in your own kitchen. We make this Conch Salad recipe for summer parties to serve with Caribbean cocktails like Bahamian Punch and everyone always raves about how delicious it is. I couldn’t agree more!
Sommer’s Recipe Notes
For this easy raw recipe, you absolutely need to have fresh conch. These giant tasty water snails are indigenous mainly to the Caribbean and are often served without cooking; therefore, purchasing them from a trustworthy source is essential.
Conch is not a common grocery store item, so if you have a hankering to make this salad at home but can’t find it locally, you can order the seafood online and have it shipped overnight. I promise the wonderfully unique taste and tender, slightly chewy texture are well worth it.
Once you’ve got the fresh conch, this Bahamian food recipe is a breeze to make. There are only a handful of other ingredients needed, and the no-cook raw salad is ready to enjoy in 15 minutes!
Ingredients You Need
Aside from the seafood itself, this recipe features traditional Bahamian food ingredients that are easy to find at your local grocery.
To prepare homemade raw Conch Salad, you need:
- Conch meat – raw, either tenderized or steaks
- Fresh veggies – fresh tomato, green bell pepper, red bell pepper, and sweet onion
- Habanero pepper – continue reading for tips to make this dish more or less spicy
- Citrus juices – fresh orange juice and fresh lime juice (or swap lime for lemon juice)
- Salt and pepper – to taste
How to Make Conch Salad
Find the full conch salad recipe with ingredient proportions and detailed instructions in the printable form at the bottom of the post.
Optional Add-Ins: The ingredients listed above are for the most classic recipes, but feel free to mix things up and add diced mango, pineapple, cucumber, avocado, or various spicy chilies.
Suggestions for How to Serve Conch Salad
You can enjoy small plates of Tropical Conch Salad as-is with a fork or spoon. It’s light yet hearty, and is terrific for lunch or dinner!
It is also a delicious starter or side to enjoy with other Bahamian food dishes. Serve the raw seafood salad alongside Bahamian Conch Fritters, Caribbean Shrimp Burgers, Fish Chowder, or with Jamaican Curry Chicken as a refreshing side dish.
We love to have Conch Salad as a fun party snack served with plantain chips, and also Large-Batch Goombay Smash Caribbean Cocktails, Killer Bee Cocktails, or Stormy Donkey Party Punch, and Rum Soaked Cake!
Bahamian Conch Salad Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 pound conch meat tenderized or steaks
- 1 cup diced tomato
- 1 cup diced green bell pepper
- 1 cup diced red bell pepper
- ¾ cup diced sweet onion
- 1 habanero pepper seeded and minced (or HALF for mild)
- 1 juicy orange juiced
- 2 juicy limes juiced
- Salt and pepper
Instructions
- Set out a large mixing bowl.
- Chop the conch meat into even ¼ inch cubes. Place in the bowl.
- Chop all the fresh produce and place in the bowl. *If you are sensitive to spicy heat, use only a quarter or half of the habanero.
- Juice the orange and limes. Pour the juice over the salad.
- Then generously salt and pepper. Toss to coat. Taste, then add more salt and pepper as needed.
- Chill until ready to serve.
Notes
Nutrition
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes and no. As with all raw meat recipes, it should be noted that there are certain risks whenever undercooked foods are consumed. Pregnant women, in particular, should avoid raw meat. However, if you purchase the conch from a trustworthy source (and are not pregnant), your risk of illness is very low.
Yes, the acid in the lime will cook the conch, making it somewhat like a conch ceviche. Since the conch is not being cooked with heat, it is important to use fresh conch that is good quality!
For a milder recipe, only use half of a seeded and sliced habanero pepper, or feel free to leave it out entirely. To make a spicier Conch Salad, leave in the habanero seeds and/or increase the number of habaneros used from 1 to 2. Or swap habaneros for less spicy jalapeño peppers.
If you don’t have access to conch, you can substitute with fresh shrimp to make this recipe. It will be more like a shrimp ceviche, but still so delicious! You can also try fish ceviche, instead.
Keep raw seafood salad covered in the refrigerator for up to 1 day, and no longer.
Looking for More Refreshing Salad Recipes? Be Sure to Try:
- Best Tuna Tartare (Easy Ahi Tuna Recipe)
- Perky English Pea Salad
- 15 Bean Salad
- Deviled Egg Salad
- Cool and Creamy Grape Salad
- Guatemalan Fiambre Salad
- Lomi Lomi Salmon
- Hawaiian Ahi Poke Recipe
- Artichoke White Bean Salad
- Best Crab Salad (Seafood Salad)
- Ceviche de Pescado (Fish Ceviche Recipe)
- Garlic Lime Roasted Shrimp Salad
I’m from the Bahamas. I was raised on Conch Salad, conch fritters, crack conch. It’s very delicious. Where can I get some in Kansas City?
I added extra lime juice and also some cayenne pepper to spice it up more (I love spicy)
11/10 The CONCH was so bussin my mouth started bustin
i steam the conch for 3min because there have been cases of illness due to bacteria.
I add a teaspoon of baking powder to tenderize the conch, I also add some white wine and let it marinate 24 hrs. The conch is a lot tender this way. I follow the rest of the recipe. It is a great salad.
Great conch salad.
This is super simple to make. That’s my kind of meal prep :)
So fresh and flavorful. My dinner guests devoured it!
raw seafood recipes are a hit or miss with me, and this one recipe is definitely a hit!