Creole Turtle Soup
User Reviews
4.9
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Prep Time
20 mins
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Cook Time
3 hrs
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Total Time
3 hrs 20 mins
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Servings
8 people
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Calories
408 kcal
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Course
Main Course, Soup
Creole Turtle Soup
Description
This soup starts by making a rich turtle stock from turtle meat simmered with bay leaves and salt for several hours until tender. After removing and shredding the meat, the broth is strained and kept warm. A roux made from butter and flour is cooked to a peanut butter brown to provide depth and thickness.
Chopped celery, green bell pepper, and onions are cooked in the roux, then garlic and shredded turtle meat are added. Turtle stock is incorporated gradually to reach a gravy-like consistency. Crushed tomatoes, Worcestershire sauce, paprika, cayenne pepper, dry sherry, and lemon juice add layers of flavor, building a complex, savory, slightly spicy profile. The soup simmers to meld flavors.
Finished soup is garnished with chopped parsley and chopped hard-boiled eggs mixed with lemon zest. This Creole Turtle Soup delivers a deep, hearty broth with tender meat, balanced heat, and fresh acidity. It suits a main course served with crusty bread.
Since turtle meat can be hard to find, alternatives like alligator or frog legs can be used. If unavailable, a substitute mix of chicken thighs, pork shoulder, and clams might approximate the flavor. The long simmering and careful roux cooking are key to the authentic texture and richness.
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 pounds turtle meat or 1 1/2 pounds boneless, on the bone
- 4 bay leaf
- salt
- 1 cup flour
- 8 tablespoons butter unsalted
- 2 celery minced, stalks
- 1 green bell pepper minced
- 1 1/2 cups onion minced
- 4 garlic minced, cloves
- One 18- ounce crushed tomatoes canned
- 3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tablespoon paprika sweet
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper or to taste
- 1/2 cup dry sherry
- 1/3 cup parsley chopped
- 2 egg chopped, hard-boiled
- lemon grated zest
- black pepper
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice freshly squeezed
Instructions
- Start by making the turtle stock. Put the turtle meat into a large pot and cover with 8 cups of water. Add the bay leaves and about a tablespoon of salt. Bring to a boil and skim the scum that floats to the top. Drop the heat to a bare simmer and cook until the turtle meat wants to fall off the bone, about 2 to 3 hours.
- Remove the meat from the pot and pull it off the bones. Chop as coarse or as fine as you want. Strain the turtle broth and put it into a pot set over low heat to keep warm.
- In a Dutch oven or other soup pot, melt the butter over medium-high heat and stir in the flour. Cook this, stirring almost constantly, to make a roux the color of peanut butter, which will take about 10 to 15 minutes.
- Add the green pepper, celery and onion and cook for about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook another minute. Add the chopped turtle meat and stir to combine.
- Stir in a cup of the turtle stock at a time until you the soup is the consistency of gravy. Add the tomatoes, Worcestershire sauce, cayenne and paprika. Add more turtle broth until the soup thins a bit. It should be thicker than water, thinner than gravy -- like chicken and dumplings if you are familiar with that. Simmer gently for 15 minutes, or until the vegetables are soft.
- Finish the soup with the sherry, parsley, lemon zest and hard-boiled eggs. Add them all, stir to combine and simmer for a minute or two. Add salt, black pepper and lemon juice to taste. Serve alone or with rice.
Notes
- Turtle meat can be challenging to source; Asian markets or online specialty retailers are good places to check.
- Alligator or frog legs offer similar flavors if turtle meat is unavailable.
- A possible substitute includes a combination of chicken thighs, pork shoulder, and clams for a comparable taste.
- Patience during the long simmering process is essential to achieve tender meat and a flavorful broth.
- Use freshly grated lemon zest for garnish to brighten the soup's rich flavors.
Nutrition Information
Show DetailsNutrition Facts
Serving: 8people
Amount Per Serving
Calories 408 kcal
% Daily Value*
| Calories | 408kcal | 20% |
| Carbohydrates | 24g | 8% |
| Protein | 33g | 66% |
| Fat | 19g | 29% |
| Saturated Fat | 9g | 45% |
| Trans Fat | 1g | 50% |
| Cholesterol | 211mg | 70% |
| Sodium | 308mg | 13% |
| Potassium | 784mg | 17% |
| Fiber | 3g | 12% |
| Sugar | 6g | 12% |
| Vitamin A | 1396IU | 28% |
| Vitamin C | 27mg | 30% |
| Calcium | 77mg | 8% |
| Iron | 4mg | 22% |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.
User Reviews
Overall Rating
4.9
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