Bimini - Stuart Conch Salad Stand

The road that traverses the island of North Bimini is about 2.5 miles long. You can walk anywhere. We went in search of a Jerk Stand that Google Maps kindly pointed out. I love Jerk Chicken and there are lots of wild chickens wandering about so it seemed like I might be able to get some for lunch. We saw a shack with the word Jerk on it that was all boarded up. Could this be the restaurant we were looking for? After some more walking, we came to the realization that the answer was “Yes”. So strike one for Google Maps.

Sadly, we were still hungry. We discovered Stuart’s Conch Stand right as we were getting ready to turn around. We knew the conch salad would be good because their sign said it was the best on the island. Best is a relative term and it depends on what you order. It’s the sort of place were asking a lot of questions is uncommon but if you care what goes into your bowl, you’ll do it. I had a lovely conch and lobster salad. It was recommended by the fellow taking orders and the helpful young locals at the bar having something I DEFINITELY didn’t want. They laughed at my questions but said “ You gonna want the lobster.” Mike, on the other hand, didn’t ask a lot of foolish questions and earned their respect but had to eat conch skin salad for lunch. He was determined to finish it so I took pity on him and gave him half of my beer to help wash it down. Instead of choosing the table by the water, we surprised our local friends by sitting at the bar with them and chatting with the big guy, Stuart himself, making the salad fresh to order. I did get encouraged to try something in a bowl of vinegar that looked like clear worms. With Mike chowing down on conch skin, I had to redeem myself so I tried it. You just reach in with your fingers and pull one out. It was much like you’d imagine a salty, skinny, gummy worm might taste. I only had one.

After lunch we headed down the road back toward the boat where we witnessed our lunch buddies engaged in what looked like a drug deal. They were on the supply side of the exchange. Then about a half mile later, there they were again, same MO. So, now we’re the type of folks who have lunch with the local drug lords. How’s that for street cred?