Scungilli Salad

If using fresh cleaned scungilli, place meat on a cutting board and pound firmly with a flat meat mallet for 2 minutes per piece to break down tough connective fibers. Bring 4 cups of water mixed with 1 tbsp kosher salt to a rolling boil over high heat, add pounded scungilli, reduce heat to medium-low to maintain a gentle simmer, cover, and cook for 25 minutes until fork-tender. If using pre-cooked frozen scungilli, thaw completely and pat dry, skipping the simmering step. Drain cooked scungilli and let cool to room temperature for 10 minutes.

Once scungilli is cool enough to handle safely, place on a clean cutting board and slice against the grain into uniform 6mm (1/4 inch) thick rounds or half-moons, discarding any small, tough, rubbery end pieces. Transfer all sliced scungilli to a large 3-quart glass mixing bowl.

Slice celery on a sharp bias into 3mm (1/8 inch) thick pieces, cut red onion into thin half-moons, slice garlic into paper-thin rounds, and chop flat-leaf parsley into rough 5mm (1/4 inch) pieces. Add all prepped vegetables directly to the bowl with the sliced scungilli.

In a small 1-cup glass measuring jug, combine 60ml extra-virgin olive oil, 100ml fresh lemon juice, 15ml white wine vinegar, 1 tsp lemon zest, 1 tsp red pepper flakes, 1 tsp kosher salt, and 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper. Whisk vigorously for 30 seconds until the dressing is fully emulsified, slightly cloudy, and uniform in color.

Pour the fully emulsified dressing over the scungilli and vegetable mixture, then toss gently with a flexible rubber spatula for 1 full minute, ensuring every piece of scungilli and vegetable is evenly coated in dressing. Do not toss roughly, as this can break the tender conch slices.

Cover the mixing bowl tightly with plastic wrap, then place it on a middle shelf in the refrigerator to chill for a minimum of 1 hour (up to 4 hours for deeper, more developed flavor). Stir the salad once halfway through the chilling time (after 30 minutes) to redistribute dressing that settles at the bottom of the bowl. Do not freeze, as this will turn the scungilli tough and rubbery.

After chilling, remove the bowl from the refrigerator, uncover, and taste a bite of scungilli with a piece of celery. Adjust salt, black pepper, or extra lemon juice as needed to suit your taste, then give the salad a final gentle toss. Serve cold, garnished with an extra pinch of chopped parsley if desired.