Turks and Caicos

I realized when I got to Turks and Caicos that the appeal of the islands is the breathtaking views and beaches, not the food. I managed to eat my way through the islands, nonetheless. The first part of the trip was spent on Middle Caicos, one of the largest but least populated islands. There was two small restaurants, Daniel's and Dillon's that I frequented but otherwise there were no other food options, not even a grocery store! Fortunately, the food at both places was pretty darn good. It tasted like great home cooking.

Conch fritters with a spicy aioli were seasoned perfectly

Seafood bisque was bland. The seafood was cooked beyond recognition.

Lobster with rice and veggies. The lobster was served with a roasted garlic butter that took it from just ok to amazing. I poured the butter over everything. The rice was surprisingly addicting.

Cracked conch, basically fried conch fritters.

 The portions were huge but without many other food options, I went to bed stuffed to the gills every night. I stopped by the other restaurant, Dillion's only once for a late lunch. Unfortunately they were just about to close for lunch so my options were fried chicken or a hamburger.

Delicious fried chicken. Perfect snack before biking and cave exploring.

The second half of my trip was spent on Providenciales, a resort haven and easily the most touristy. However, there were plenty of dining options.

Conch wontons from Bay Bistro.

Conch crepes with a mushroom cream sauce from Bay Bistro. Way too creamy.

Pecan crusted conch from Bay Bistro. A bit chewy but still yummy.

Curried conch from Da Conch Shack. Love the curry flavor.

Conch salad, basically a conch ceviche from Da Conch Shack. Easily my favorite preparation of conch. Super fresh. 

 

As you can see, I ate conch a lot. Pretty much conched out by the end of the week. :) Conch is native to the islands and abundant in the waters so it was on a lot of menus. Glad I got to try it for the first time. I even took a boat tour that let you dive for conch. I didn't, of course but it was neat to see what they look like straight from the shell.

It's a male!

 Turks and Caicos' motto is "Beautiful by nature" and that it was. I hope I'm lucky enough to go back there at some point!