New Orleans Turtle Soup (Turtle soup)

Overview

New Orleans turtle soup is a thick, dark brown Creole soup with a deep, rich flavour. It starts with a roux of butter and flour cooked until it is the colour of chocolate. Onion, celery and green pepper, the trinity of Louisiana cooking, are softened in it with garlic, then minced turtle meat, tomatoes, beef stock, herbs and spices are added and simmered for a long time. Chopped spinach, hard-boiled egg and lemon are stirred in at the end, and every bowl is served with a splash of dry sherry poured at the table. Where turtle is not available, veal is used.

History

Turtle soup was a luxury in 18th and 19th century Europe and America, and in New Orleans Creole cooks made it their own with roux and local spices. Old restaurants such as Commander's Palace and Galatoire's still serve it today. Because turtles became scarce, many places now use farmed turtle meat or make a mock turtle soup with veal, which has its own long history.

Main ingredients

Turtle meat or veal, dark roux, onion, celery and pepper, tomatoes, sherry, hard-boiled egg. The soup is built on beef or veal stock and is usually served hot. Diet: contains meat; not usually gluten-free.

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Recipe

4Serves

2h 20m20 prep · 120 cook

~420kcal / serving

HardDifficulty

Method

1. 1

   Cook the butter and flour, stirring, until the roux is dark brown.

2. 2

   Add the onion, celery, pepper and garlic and cook until soft.

3. 3
   1.5 h

   Add the meat, tomatoes, stock, herbs and spices and simmer for 1.5 hours.

4. 4

   Stir in the spinach, egg and lemon juice.

5. 5

   Serve with a splash of sherry in each bowl.

6. ✓

   Serve. About 2h 20m from start to bowl.

Sources

• Turtle soup (Wikipedia)

Description, history and recipe written by SoupWiki and checked against the sources above. Calories and times are rough estimates.