The Best Authentic St. Augustine Minorcan Chowder

Conch chowder or clam chowder. I served this Minorcan chowder with Conch in my restaurant but clams are great too.

St Augustine the oldest city and Minorcans

This chowder was created by Minorcans who were brought to St. Augustine as indentured servants from Minorca a small island off the coast of Spain.

They were brought as indentured servants to work the Indigo plantation of a Scottish physician who then held them as slaves until the Governor got word and freed them. Here is an interesting quick read.

This Minorcan chowder is a signature dish from St. Augustine our nations oldest city and a personal favorite. I lived there for 5 laid back years. It is a beautiful coastal city and is a must stop if your traveling through Florida. After all it is the home of the “Fountain of Youth”.

The Minorcan Chowder

The chowder is super easy to make and looks like a Manhattan style clam chowder. It is much better! It has a spicy fruity kick from peppers.

I made a Minorcan conch chowder but clams work great. The pictures above are conch and the shell they live in. Conch is a little meatier than clams and it also has a wow factor when you serve it.

The Conch and the Crab

Fun Fact-The conch is a medium to large sea snail. The shell is also called a conch shell. They say you can hear the ocean if you hold it to your ear.

You will often see conch shells scampering along the beach in Florida but it isn’t conch. The conch lives in the water. They will shed their shell and hermit crabs will move in. They carry it with them wherever they go for protection like a huge helmet.

The Peppers

The datil pepper is the traditional pepper used in Minorcan chowder. The were brought to Florida by the Minorcans and are grown mostly in St. Augustine. They are very similar to a Scotch Bonnet and Habanero in heat and flavor but are a little sweeter.

The peppers are often thrown in whole for flavor being careful not to break the skin. They are very hot, 15 to 40 times hotter than a jalapeno. In this conch chowder I want the heat so I poke some pin holes in the peppers.

Tips and Substitutions

• as mentioned above you can substitute habanero pepper or Scotch bonnet
• pop pin hole in the peppers to release the heat.
• salt pork can be used instead of bacon but I like bacon.
• Chowder Tip-I like to chop the bacon and sauté until soft then throw the onion and celery in. Most recipes remove the bacon and add back later. Don’t bother
• use chicken broth instead of water or use chicken base instead of salt for a fuller body.

Try These…

Try the best shrimp dish you never had, Cajun BBQ shrimp

The best cornbread recipe would go great with this chowder.

This easy grilled chicken gyro would make a great addition to make a nice light meal