Turtle Soup
Although it has variations that span the globe, (including China, Europe and even Pennsylvania) nothing has come to symbolize a fancy New Orleans appetizer more than Turtle Soup. Considered a delicacy just about anywhere it’s served, Turtle Soup is a very unique dish that you will not soon forget; especially if you’re lucky enough to be served this soup seated in one of Nola’s grand dame restaurants.
In the south, this soup is most commonly made using the meat of farm raised snapping turtles. While nasty in both appearance and temperament, this turtle’s meat, when slow simmered in a rich veggie filled stock, has both a unique and fantastic taste. If you consider turtle meat a little too adventurous for your taste buds or if it isn’t available in your area you can use beef, veal, or even just hard boiled eggs alone for a mock turtle soup. It won’t be exactly the same of course but it’ll get the job done.
Turtle Soup would not be turtle soup without sherry. This fortified wine is what gives turtle soup its flavor. Most recipes call for adding sherry during the cooking (which I do) but I also like to finish the soup with a splash of sherry right before I eat.
This particular time I found myself out of spinach so I used a handful of fresh arugula and I really liked the way it turned out. While not traditional, it may become a permanent recipe change for me.
While this and most recipes for turtle soup can seem rather daunting, never fear. It’s much easier than it sounds and the outcome will be very worth the effort.
Ingredients
- 2 pounds turtle meat thawed and diced
- 1 stick of butter
- 5 tablespoons of flour
- 1 medium onion diced
- 1 small jalapeno diced
- 1 medium bell pepper diced
- 2 stalks celery diced
- 6 cloves of garlic diced
- 4 tomatoes chopped
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon thyme
- 1/4 cup sherry
- Dash of Worcestershire sauce
- Dash of hot sauce
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 4 cups beef or veal stock
- 1/2 cup or so of fresh spinach or arugula chopped
- 2 hard boiled eggs chopped
Instructions
In a large pot, melt butter and brown the turtle meat on medium high heat.
Remove meat and set to the side. Still on medium high heat, let water evaporate from the pot for a minute. Then, add flour and stir continuously to make a medium dark roux (10-15 minutes).
Once roux is ready add onion, jalapeno, bell pepper, and celery and cook until soft (about 5 minutes).
Add garlic, tomatoes, salt, pepper, oregano, thyme, sherry, Worcestershire, hot sauce, and lemon juice. Stir well and bring down to a low heat to simmer for a minute.
Add stock and whisk well to ensure all is combined.
Bring to a boil then reduce back to a simmer.
Add the turtle meat back along with eggs and spinach. Let simmer for at least an hour.
When it’s ready to serve, finish with a splash of sherry in your bowl of turtle soup if you desire.
