Turtle Recipes

Take A Walk On The Wild Side

“Waiter, is that a fly in my soup?" If your culinary adventures have led you to exotic meats, chances are you’ve sampled turtle meat in its most prevalent form, turtle soup. Although there are more than fifty species of turtle, Chelydra serpentina, a.k.a snapping turtle, is the species commonly used in American kitchens. The majority of soup recipes containing meat can be adapted to using turtle, as is the case with mock turtle soup. This version came about due to the ban on killing sea turtles and an aversion to killing turtles for their meat. Most mock varieties use either veal, chicken, oxtails, or beef stew meat. Calf’s head can also be used, and along with veal, is said to be closest in taste to tortoise. If turtle soup doesn’t make your mouth water, there’s always, barbecued, fried, twice-fried, baked, or turtle sauce piquant. Its taste and texture is similar to game, frog legs, and lobster. The legs and tail render dark meat, and the white meat is found in the neck and back.

Time vs. Money

It appears that the most difficult aspect of cooking with turtle is the decision to catch, kill, and prepare it yourself, or to pay anywhere from $14.75-$19.75 per pound. This unusual meat is not one you can run into any supermarket and purchase. Southern states, Louisiana in particular, have their fair share of specialty markets where turtle is readily available, alongside other reptilian delights. The other option is online retailers. In Cajun/Creole cuisine, alligator and turtle are interchangeable. They are generally combined with the “trinity’ bell pepper, onion, and celery along with hot sauce, tomato sauce, and served over rice. No matter the cooking style, it is recommended that turtle be pressure cooked or parboiled to tenderize it beforehand. Another imperative for cooking with turtle is the removal of all fat to rid it of it’s gamey/fishy flavor. Turtle eggs are also a bit of a delicacy. When boiled they don’t solidify as chicken eggs do.

Across the Borders

Turtle eggs have also been the subject of controversy in recent years. In Mexico, sea turtles once avidly hunted for their eggs, were strongly favored by the men for the touted aphrodisiac qualities lore suggested. An important source of protein in Chinese medicine, turtle was said to purify blood, cure disease, promote longevity, and again enhance virility. Turtle consumption is so high in China that it is imported from all over southeast Asia. The killing of turtles for their meat remains a heated discussion with meat eaters and vegetarians alike.