Raw conch diced small and cured in key lime and citrus juice with onion, pepper and tomato until the meat turns opaque and firm. The raw-bar counterpart to the fritter, and the cleaner way to taste the mollusc.

The Bahamian version is called conch salad and is chopped to order on the dock, the shell opened, the meat scored and the lime squeezed in front of you. Key West raw bars adapted it into a ceviche served in a glass, a form that also travelled up from the Cuban and wider Caribbean tradition of curing seafood in acid. Half Shell Raw Bar on the Margaret Street docks calls its version the ultimate treat and has built a reputation on it. Since the 1985 Florida harvest ban the conch is imported, so the citrus, not the provenance, is what distinguishes one kitchen's bowl from another's.

2 editor picks for Conch ceviche in Key West, ranked by editorial score. All Key West signature dishes · Conch ceviche across every city.