7) Snapper Turtle Soup

Turtle soup is soup or stews made from the flesh of the turtle. The dish exists in many cultures and is viewed as a luxury or delicacy.

The green turtle was commonly used for turtle soup in the United States and United Kingdom. Soup made from the snapping turtle was found mainly in the United States. Chinese and other East Asian cuisines use primarily soft-shelled turtles for turtle soup

Chinese

In countries such as Singapore with large Chinese populations, turtle soup is a Chinese delicacy known for its rich herbal taste. The meat, skin and innards of the turtle are used in the soup. Soft-shelled turtles (鱉) such as Pelodiscus sinensis are commonly consumed in this manner in Chinese cuisine, while consumption of hard-shelled turtles (龜) is often avoided due to their mythical connotations. However, the hard shells of certain turtles are used in the preparation of so-called "turtle jelly", or Guilinggao.

[]United States

19th-century American cookbooks advised homemakers that for the best turtle soup one should choose a turtle about 10 pounds in weight, as a smaller one would not have enough fat, and a bigger one would have too strong a flavor.

The snapping turtle was also used in the US, in which case it is commonly referred to assnapper turtle soup,^[5] or simply snapper soup (not to be confused with red snapper soup, which is made from the fish called a red snapper).

In many jurisdictions, turtle soup is illegal because many species of turtle are consideredthreatened or endangered, and cannot legally be captured and killed. Generally speaking, turtle populations cannot quickly recover from the loss of a breeding adult, thus, killing these turtles to make soup can depress populations below sustainable levels.

In the Delaware Valley, snapper soup is fairly popular and available at many area diners. It is a heavy, brown soup that tastes a little like thick gravy. The famous Philadelphiarestaurant Old Original Bookbinder's is known for their Snapper Soup, which can also be purchased in cans at supermarkets.

Turtle soup, also known as Caouane among Creole communities is popular in New Orleans as well, where it is a specialty of several neighborhood and classic Creole restaurants such as Commander's Palace, Brennan's, and Galatoire's.

Turtle soup was U.S. President William Howard Taft's favorite food.^[6] He brought a special chef into the White House for the specific purpose of preparing this dish.^[7]

In the various media related to the 1987 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles animated series, the main antagonist, Shredder, occasionally taunted the anthropomorphic turtle protagonists with threats of turning them into turtle soup, using phrases like "Tonight, I dine on turtle soup!" and "Turtle soup... my favorite!".

Recipe 

• 1/4 cup butter
• 1/3 cup celery, diced
• 1/3 cup onion, diced
• 1/3 cup carrot, diced
• 1/3 cup flour
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1 quart beef stock
• 1/2 cup tomato puree
• 1 garlic clove, crushed
• 1/2 teaspoon allspice
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 3 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 teaspoon parsley, chopped
• 1/3 cup cream sherry
• 1/4 teaspoon whole mixed pickling spice

Directions:

1. 1
   Place turtle or beef in stock pot with 1 1/2 quarts water. Bring to a boil. Skim during cooking. Simmer for 2 hours or until meat is tender.
2. 2
   Strain meat from stock. Dice meat into 1/4 inch pieces. Set both aside.
3. 3
   Cook vegetables in butter until onions are translucent. Add beef stock.
4. 4
   In a small bowl, mix 1/4 cup water into paprika and flour until smooth. Add tomato purée and spices.
5. 5
   Stir into beef stock until well blended. Bring to a boil; reduce heat, cover and simmer for 2 to 2 1/2 hours.
6. 6
   Strain soup.
7. 7
   Place vegetables into food processor or blender and purée.
8. 8
   Mix cornstarch with remaining water and blend until smooth. Add to soup and cook 15 minutes, stirring, until stock is thickened.
9. 9
   Add meat and vegetable purée.
10. 10
    Remove from direct heat. Add sherry right before serving.