Any sort of turtle will do here, but snapping turtle is traditional. If you are collecting your own turtles, make sure the species you take is legal -- a lot of species are protected, so follow your local laws. If you want to try to buy turtle, look in Asian markets; sometimes you can find them live or frozen. Good alternatives to turtle are alligator, frog's legs, squirrel, and, more distant in flavor but easier to obtain, chicken thighs.
Recipe by Hank Shaw on May 18, 2015
Prep time: PT30M
Cook time: PT180M
Total time: PT210M
Rating
5 stars (8 reviews)
Keywords
sauce, stews, turtle
Ingredients
1/2 cup butter
A heaping 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups chopped onion
1 cup chopped green pepper
1 cup chopped celery
5 garlic cloves
One 6-ounce can of tomato paste
1 tablespoon Cajun seasoning, (or more to taste)
3 to 4 pounds turtle, (alligator or frog meat, diced small)
1 cup white wine
One 28-ounce can tomato puree or crushed tomatoes
4 bay leaves
Salt, (black pepper and hot sauce to taste)
Chopped green onions or parsley for garnish
Categories
Main Course
Cuisine
Cajun
Steps
In a large, heavy pot like a Dutch oven, heat the butter over medium-high heat for a minute or two. Stir in the flour, then turn the heat down to medium. Cook this roux, stirring often, until it turns the color of peanut butter, about 10 to 15 minutes.
While the roux is cooking, Heat 6 cups of water in another pot to the boiling point. Hold it at a simmer for now.
When the roux is ready, add the onions, celery and green pepper and stir to combine. Turn the heat to medium-high and cook this, stirring often, until everything is soft, about 6 to 8 minutes. Sprinkle some salt over everything while you do this. Add the garlic, Cajun seasoning and tomato paste and stir to combine. Cook this, stirring occasionally, for 3 to 4 minutes.
Mix in the turtle meat, then add the cup of white wine, the can of crushed tomatoes and the hot water, stirring as you add. Add the bay leaves and bring this to a gentle simmer. Add salt to taste. Let this simmer very gently until the meat is tender, at least 2 hours, maybe three.
When the sauce piquante is ready, add any more salt, black pepper, hot sauce and/or Cajun seasoning you want, then serve it with white rice and lots of green onions or parsley. Make sure you have hot sauce at the table; I use Tabasco, but use whatever variety you prefer.
Nutitrion
Serving Size: 1 serving
Calories: 206 kcal
Carbohydrates: 9 g
Protein: 2 g
Fat: 16 g
Saturated Fat: 10 g
Cholesterol: 41 mg
Sodium: 155 mg
Sugar: 4 g
Reviews
Clay on 2022-06-04 (5 stars): Wow. This is the taste of Louisiana. Turtle is my favorite meat, and I am an avid chef and hunter like Mr. Shaw. I give it an 11/10. This is one of those things that you lick the darn bowl after. I usually bread the turtle and deep fry it or make a white potato chowder with it, and those are 10/10 good, but this right here is just... piquant. No other word for it. Most piquant dish I've ever had!
Only thing I did different is use very hot jalapeño instead of bell pepper, and I halved the recepie because this turtle was a little smaller. It changed nothing about the flavor other than the spicyness, which I prefer. Other than that, it's a winning classic French/Louisian recipe.
Check your local wildlife commission because some turtles do have seasons or cannot be harvested... but go stick a baited hook on a handline, bait it with some of meat, toss it into a ditch or pond. You'll get a turtle, and you owe it to yourself to try this recipe. It is really that good.
11/10
Mike on 2021-07-24 (5 stars): Great recipe!!!
I have been catching turtles for a about ten years in Wisconsin and have always wondered. Is there anything you can do with the “caviar” Inside the turtle?
Jim on 2020-10-27 (5 stars): Made this with Gator. I was delighted to have another way to enjoy this unique meat! 5 stars! Thank you Hank!
Robyn on 2018-05-07 (5 stars): I butchered my first snapping turtle last year, and it was quite an experience to say the least! Google/You Tube is very helpful! I'm pretty sure that turtles are part zombie, because it didn't quit moving till the very end! He was a big boy, so I put a ton of meat in my freezer and I've just been waiting for the right recipe to try it out on, and the right crowd to serve it to. I think I'm going to try your turtle soup recipe first, followed by this one. I also got rabbit meat from my friend's farm recently, so I may use a combination.
