Turtle Soup

Ingredients

• 1 lb turtle meat, cubed
• 1 C celery, minced
• 2 medium onions, minced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 bay leaves
• 1 tsp oregano
• ½ tsp thyme
• 1½ C tomato purée
• 10 oz unsalted butter (2½ sticks)
• ¾ C all-purpose flour
• 32 oz beef stock
• ½ C lemon juice
• 5 hard-boiled eggs, finely chopped
• 1 tbs minced parsley
• 6 tsp dry sherry
• Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. Make Roux: Melt 8 oz butter in a heavy saucepan over medium heat. Add flour and cook, stirring frequently, until a light brown roux forms. Remove from heat and set aside.
2. Brown Meat: In a 5-qt saucepan, melt remaining butter. Add turtle meat and cook over high heat until browned.
3. Add Vegetables: Stir in celery, onions, garlic, and seasonings. Cook until vegetables are translucent.
4. Build Base: Add tomato purée, lower heat, and simmer 10 minutes. Add stock and simmer 30 minutes.
5. Thicken Soup: Stir in the roux and cook over low heat until smooth and thickened, stirring occasionally.
6. Finish: Add lemon juice and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper. Remove from heat.
7. Serve: Ladle soup into bowls. At the table, add 1 tsp sherry to each bowl and top with eggs and parsley. Serve immediately with French bread and butter.

Chef's Notes

• If turtle bones are available, add them to the beef bones when making the stock for this dish.
• This is a copycat recipe of the Turtle Soup at Commander's in New Orleans

The Gumbo Page