Louisiana Turtle Stew Recipes

LOUISIANA TURTLE STEW

Steps:

• Parboil the turtle meat; drain.
• Make a brown roux of the fat and flour.
• Add onions, garlic, tomato paste, and tomatoes.
• Cook slowly for 20 to 30 minutes.
• Add turtle meat and add enough boiling salted water to cover the meat.
• Reduce by half.
• Add celery, green onions, peppers, wine and seasoning.
• Cover and cook over medium high heat for approximately 30 minutes.
• Mash the egg yolks, chop the whites and add to thicken the stew.
• If the stew gets too thick, add additional water.
• Reduce the heat, cover and simmer for about three hours.
• Half an hour before serving, add the sliced lemon and butter.
• Serve hot.

TURTLE STEW

Steps:

• Dredge the turtle in flour. In a large, heavy-bottomed saucepot over high heat, melt the butter and brown the turtle pieces, about 10 to 12 minutes. Remove the turtle from pan and allow to cool enough to handle. Deglaze the pan with red wine, scraping the bits from the bottom and sides.
• Add the celery, onion, carrots to the pot. Stir in the beef stock, 1/2 cup water, and Worcestershire and continue to cook over medium-high heat. In small bowl whisk together the cornstarch, paprika, allspice, parsley, nutmeg, ginger, tomato paste, salt and pepper and 2 tablespoons water. Add to the vegetable mixture.
• Once the turtle has cooled, put meat in cheesecloth, and tie closed with butcher's twine and add to the pot. The turtle needs to be in cheesecloth so that it can be extracted from the stew before pureeing. Continue to cook over medium-high heat until the mixture boils, then reduce the heat to low and simmer for 2 hours. After 2 hours, remove the turtle in the cheesecloth and strain vegetables from stock. Transfer cooked vegetables to a food processor and process until a chunky paste is achieved. Remove the turtle from cheesecloth and return the meat to saucepan with reserved liquid and pureed vegetables. Cook over medium heat until desired thickness is achieved, about 20 minutes. Ladle into serving bowls and finish with a little sherry in each bowl before serving.

DIAMONDBACK TERRAPIN STEW, CHESAPEAKE BAY STYLE

Steps:

• Drop live terrapin into boiling water and let stand for 5 minutes.
• Remove from water; rub skin off feet, tail and head with a towel, drawing the head out with a skewer.
• Clip off claws.
• Scrub shell with boiling water; break apart with a cleaver or axe.
• Remove meat and liver.
• Discard heart, sandbag, entrails and gall bladder (taking caution not to break it as it's bitter).
• Cut the liver in thin slices.
• Take out eggs, remove film and set aside in cold water.
• Mash yolks of eggs; add flour, nutmeg, lemon juice and rind.
• Stir in 1 cup of soup stock.
• Add onion, celery, terrapin and terrapin eggs and enough more stock to cover meat.
• Cook in double boiler until meat falls from bones.
• Remove bones, add worcestershire sauce, salt, pepper, chopped egg whites, cream, sherry and milk (if necessary).
• Heat thoroughly and serve with toast.