Saint-Martin Whelk Soup is a traditional Saint-Martin recipe for a classic stew of whelk (sea snail) meats in a vegetable and coconut milk base with callaloo greens. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic Saint-Martin version of: Saint-Martin Whelk Soup.
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Whelks are saltwater mollusks, smaller than conch but the perfect size to make a good meal. They can be prepared in many different dishes, and on Sint Maarten, you’ll often find them in whelk soup. Soup recipes can vary, but the whelks are usually stewed in coconut milk or added to a stew of vegetables and seasonings. The sea snail adds wonderful flavour to the broth and delivers a unique and tasty experience.
You can see the French influence in this soup and a very similar dish is also prepared across the island in Sint Maarten. Whelks are one of the forgotten ingredients of the Caribbean, probably because they are associated with early slave meals, whelks being easy to source; though they are gaining in popularity as conch becomes more expensive.
Ingredients:
2 onions, finely diced
20 Whelks, removed from their shells
8 oz dry Red kidney Beans, soaked in a large bowl of water over night
2 Carrots, scraped and chopped
2 Celery sticks (with leaves), chopped
1 tannia root (or 2 taro corms), peeled and cut into strips
6 Pimento seeds (allspice berries)
5 garlic cloves
2 courgettes (zucchini), cut into strips
1 red bell pepper, chopped
6 spring onions, chopped
3 tbsp fresh Thyme, finely chopped
2 callaloo (tannia or taro) leaves, shredded
1 Scotch bonnet chilli
400ml Coconut milk
1 Maggi prawn flavour stock cube
2 tsp Garlic powder
lime juice and Salt, to taste
oil for frying
Method:
Place the pot of a pressure cooker over medium heat. Add a glug of oil and use to fry the onion for about 4 minutes, or until soft and translucent.
Now fill a pressure cooker 1/4 full with water then add 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Add in the red kidney beans, pinento (allspice) berries, 5 garlic cloves and whelks. Secure the lid, bring up to pressure and cook for 20 minutes.
Allow the pressure to reduce, open the lid and continue cooking the ingredients over medium heat. At this point stir in the coconut milk then add the carrot and celery and pumpkin. Bring to a boil and cook for 10 minutes.
Now add in the cocoyam (tannia/taro) strips. Stir in the thyme, callaloo and spring onions then bring to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes, until the cocoyam is almost half done.
Crumble in the Maggi cube and stir in the courgette strips and red bell pepper pieces. Add the garlic powder, stir to combine then pop in the whole scotch bonnet chilli and cook, uncovered for about 15-20 minutes more, or until the ingredients are tender.
If the soup is a little too thin for your liking at this point, bring to a boil and continue cooking until thickened.
Adjust the seasonings (lime juice and salt) to taste then ladle the soup into bowls and serve. You can remove and discard the chilli, or serve it mashed in a dish so those who like it spicy can add it to their own servings.
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