Have you ever ate Turtle?

[drcoastline]

Originally Posted by stevej37

^^^ Box is the best.
Snapper is tough.

You may be right, never had box, snapper is on a lot of menu's in South Jersey. a little hardboiled egg and sprinkle of sherry.

There is a small lake in Cape May Point called Lilly lake. It's a popular place to ice skate in the winter or feed the ducks and geese or fish spring and summer. When I was a kid my mother and I would go from time to time. One time, there weren't many ducks geese as usual, I saw a few dead ones at the waters edge and I could see a few small groups here and there at different spot around the edge so I walked around trying to get closer so I could feed them.

I got to one spot where there was a little clearing down to the waters edge. I saw what appeared to be a big rock. It was a turtle, I was maybe ten or twelve so I am sure it wasn't as big as I remember but it was huge. I went back up the bank to where my mother could see me and began calling her to come see, this caught the attention of a man who lived in a house across the street who also came over.

He grabbed a stick and put it in front of the turtles beak, it chomped down like a vice. He drug it up out of the bank and onto the street. He asked if we would keep an eye on it while he ran across the street? He came back with a gaff. He said the turtle had been wreaking havoc on the ducks and geese eating the eggs and swimming up under them biting off their feet they would then drown. He said they have been trying to catch it for weeks.

I asked what he was going to do with it? He said make soup. He then gaffed it in the neck and dragged back to his house.

Every time I have snapper soup I think of that day.

[KevinTodd]

Yes. Traditional meal. Always contained a lot of fresh spinach and finely chopped, boiled eggs. Served with a small glass of Sherry that was added just before eating. The meat is darker and almost beef-like in taste and texture.

[jcommin]

There was a restaurant in Chicago called Binyon’s Restaurant. Turtle soup was always on the menu. They were noted for it. Always wanted to eat there, never got the chance. The restaurant has since closed.

If I had the opportunity to try turtle, I would.

[stevej37]

[masraum]

Nice

[shadowjack1]

Down here it's on the menu of most upper end rest. I fix it from time to time.

[GH85Carrera]

There is plenty of conventional food available in my local grocery store. No doubt at all, if I was hungry and we had no other easy options, turtle would be on my menu card.

I prefer beef, pork, ham, chicken, fish and fowl as they are plentiful. I even eat vegetables and fruit. I have had bear, elk, alligator, deer wild goat, sheep, wild turkey (not just the bourbon) and rattlesnake. Also Possum, (greasy as heck) and racoon, even squirrel. Not road kill, all were shot by bow and arrow.

[Bob Kontak]

Originally Posted by shadowjack1

Down here it's on the menu of most upper end rest. I fix it from time to time.

I had turtle soup at Patout's a long while back. Not sure if in NO or New Iberia but as Craigster mentioned, you can't really tell what the taste is.

If I had it to taste it, I'd just as soon have it fried in a skillet.

[stevej37]

It makes me wonder who gets the job of opening the shells and extracting the meat for the restaurants.

[tabs]

No but I have eaten cat before.

[ckcarr]

I had turtle many. many years ago down in Mazatlán. It was fine, I was young and didn't consider any endangered species type factors. I wouldn't do it again, just on principle. Turtles don't hurt anyone.

[cabmandone]

My friend's dad would put it in chili.

[stevej37]

Originally Posted by tabs

No but I have eaten cat before.

most all of us have before...but we call it by a diff name.

[Rusty Heap]

Originally Posted by stevej37

most all of us have before...but we call it by a diff name.

Spicy Chicken #5 at the local Teriyaki place?

[wdfifteen]

Turtle? Is that what they're calling it these days?

[stevej37]

don't want to start another thread....

[thor66]

have you ever ate one while the turtle was diggin the sun! ??

[Fast Freddy 944]

Originally Posted by Rusty Heap

The turtle thread had me thinking what it actually tastes like?


who has dined upon said flippered meal, and how was it prepared?


Just like chicken, or?

Its tastes like chicken? LOL! I had turtle chocolate clusters, now that was pretty tastey. I think the English eat turtle soup? Dunno?

[drcoastline]

Originally Posted by Rusty Heap

The turtle thread had me thinking what it actually tastes like?


who has dined upon said flippered meal, and how was it prepared?


Just like chicken, or?

I suppose different turtles have different flavors. The snapper I have had is very beefy in flavor, similar texture and color as well. Along the lines of a roast, the meat can pulled apart in strings. I have even heard turtle has been substitute with beef in some places?

[Porchdog]

My mom used to make us snapping turtle soup.

The first one was a bit of an adventure. My brother and I were 9 or 10 and we had caught a pretty nice one. My dad got home and told us we could help clean it. We put it on the chopping block and waved a stick in front of it, dad chopped off the head with an axe.

As he was cutting the body out of the shell the legs and tail were still working against him. He eventually got the body out of the shell and cleaned up, but moms dog started howling. She was a miniature dachshund, she had been messing with the head and it latched on to her snout. It was a tougher job getting that head off the hound than skinning the turtle.

After that we would have turtle soup a couple times a year. We got a bit of a reputation, a couple local guys showed up with turtles for my mother (she wanted nothing to do with them before they were cleaned).