Anyone here ever eat turtle meat?
We have a little Corp of Engineers conservation pool on the property and it's gettin pretty thick with turtles. Thought about trapping them and hauling them to a nearby creek that flows in a much larger lake. Figured if I'm gonna trap em I should try the meat before just turning them loose somewhere else.

Need some tips on cleaning and cooking these bad boys.

 

I don’t know about red ear, but soft shell is fairly good if you like wild meat, though I have to say I would not go out of my way to eat it. It tasted a little bit muddy/ oily with about he same texture as white meat chicken that has been cooked on a grill. Note: I did not say it tasted like chicken. Also I am reasonably sure that if prepared a little different the results would have been better alcohol was involved.
Down in south Louisiana the Cajuns like the logger head and in some places have hunted them into short supply

 

Yea I'm not sure if they're all the same species but we have a lot of Red Ear.

 

My grandmother would brown the meat in a pan, then cook it in a mushroom soup base. They are snappers, right?

 

When I was alot younger we would catch turtles up here and one day we decided to cook one. My buddy's dad found us at the bbq just about to eat some. He tossed it in the garbage explaining to us that its too high of a risk with disease. Not sure what they had for diseases here but we never bothered with it again.
I did not know we even had turtles here until we stumbled across one while hunting. They get pretty big too.

 

Just so you know the red ears have green skin with a small red mark close to the ear. These are the ones that you could buy in the pet store years ago.
Logger head (alligator snapping turtle) are the ones that have a big head and the tail has raised ridges that resemble a gators tail. They can get to be 50 pounds or so and have a bad attitude when handled.
Soft shell is a flat (a small one is about the size of a plate) with what will seem to be a very long neck and the shell is flexible and soft to the touch.

 

Not sure....is a red Eared a snapper?

 

no you'll know a snapper when you try to hold it

 

Yea I've seen some snappers. They're mean!
Didn't think a Red Eared was part of the same family but wasn't sure either.

 

Generally the snapper and alligator snapper( southern US) are the ones you want to eat. I think the disease issue is more in the handling of them as pets (salmonella), not eating them.

 

do not grab a (toady looking bumps and ridges)snapping turtle by the shell. try to flip it out of the water with a flat board and grab "hind legs" type around rear of shell. their necks can extend about half of their shell length.

red eared sliders are very smooth and pretty, but not edible. most turtles need some bacteria for a good life, hence the brackish water you usually find them in.
snappers are the ones that process out bacteria and need the deep water for more purity. hence they are better eating. small pieces, grilled/seared usually is best. turtle is chewy like jerky.

we have Seneca Indians here, a turtle is sacred but can be prepared as a gathering celebration meal. that is how I knew the difference, I am NOT a gourmet chef. no way. I have watched them hunt for snappers and ignored my son when he was six years old and told me not to grab the shell where i thought it was safe. I would use a rifle from the shore and let PETA sue me. everytime.

bon appite y'all!

 

Sure fire way to find out if it's a snapper:

1) Hold finger near turtle's mouth.

2) If finger is badly wounded, it's not a snapper. If finger is missing, it is a snapper.

You're welcome.

 

With a turtle you have a built in dish after you cook it. No washing up required either.

 

yeah you'll lose a finger or a two if you do it wrong! Snappin turtles are some mean creatures.

Or you can use the shell as a hat!

People around here use the Common Snapping Turtle for soup, never had it but i hear it's good! Never killed one either, when I run into them. I usually take my coal shovel, flip them, pick'em up, and then put them back into the closest pond. Too many little kids playing around the neighborhood so I move the snappers quick so one doesn't hurt any of the kids.

Snappin' Turtles around here are meaner than Chaikwa on a bad hair day!

 

Turtle soup is great to eat. Guy out at my former work used to trap em and cook them (snappers) The only thing I remember from hearing him talk was about burying the head (state law) cuz they can stll snap after the head is removed. Also, something about the heart will still beat for hours after decapitation, thus it bleeds itself out easily.
The meat tastes like chicken, IMO