This includes other species of turtle! Make a brown roux of the fat and flour. Melvin Vanacor, Sr, (1934-2003) was always called by his nickname T-Nom, which means little man in Cajun French. The Sportsmans Paradise has a wide variety of reptiles you may come across while on your travels. These striking turtles have shells ranging from green to yellowish, with several sharp peaks down the centre. They look like leathery pancakes, and lack a hard carapace to protects themselves. They can produce a bite force of nearly 1,000 pounds. They have a greyish green carapace and pale yellow bottom. Their bodies have light colored speckles on their skin. They have thick, elephantine legs. The main habitats for Three-toed Box turtles are woodlands and other grassland areas such as meadows. The carapace background is usually brown, grey, or olive colored. Coat pieces of meat in batter and deep fry until golden brown. Southern Painted turtles are mainly seen in slow-moving waters as well as the floodplains surrounding Louisianas main rivers. These turtles travel thousands of miles yearly. The Ouachita Map turtle is omnivorous and will eat a wide variety of fruits, berries, plants, insects, and fish. Make a brown roux of the fat and flour. The carapace (upper shell) is olive, dark brown, or black with yellow to reddish ornate markings that resemble paint runs. Small yellow spots behind the eyes separate the Northern Map turtle from other species. These mighty turtles are aquatic and live in deep waters like lakes or rivers. The species gets its name from the number of toes on its hind feet . These turtles have smooth, oval shaped carapaces that range between brown and yellowish in color. There we have it. The Chicken Turtle doesnt sport feathers, cluck, or eat chickens, instead, they get their name because reportedly they taste like the egg-laying yard bird. Of course Jambalaya, Po-Boys and sweet Beignets are obvious choices but another traditional favorite is the hearty and delicious soups. Saut Vegetables: After the meat is browned, remove from the pot. Rinse turtle pieces in cold water. This classic Creole soup has been on New Orleans menus for centuries and has only gotten better with age. Their faces sport yellowish markings and they have yellow to cream plastrons. To tell a Ouachita Map turtle from other Map turtles, look for large yellow or white spots on the side of their heads. The plastron on the Eastern River Cooter is pale tan or yellowish and can have a midline pattern. Our goal is to do the same thing, offering Justin's recipes, cookbooks, music, seasonings, and other fine food products to everyone. They are highly adaptable, mostly aquatic, and will eat nearly anything. In the winter, Ornate Box turtles will either dig out a burrow or take over an abandoned one. Boudin Stuffed Pork Chops with Creole Mustard and Steen's Cane Syrup Glaze. cake, food cake mix, buttermilk, canola oil, eggs and. So watch out for falling turtles when visiting the Louisiana bayous. Keep reading as we go over all the native turtles found in and around Louisiana. Add the stock and simmer for 30 minutes. Stir constantly. When hibernating, the Mud turtle will dig into the soft ground and bury itself until spring. Southern Painted turtles also spend a lot of time basking in the sun. They are terrestrial turtles that dont spend much time at all in the water. Try our $10 Trial Subscription (3 issues). Though omnivorous, they mainly eat mollusks, crayfish, small fish, and tadpoles. Check our Alligator Snapping turtle care guide for more on how to care for one as a pet. They will also occasionally eat vegetation. Drain the meat and reserve the turtle water. Flippers also have claws at their elbows. Their heads are usually a darker color, with yellow band markings and red patches just behind their eyes. Their heads are also dark, with yellow lines along their faces. Sabine Map turtles are omnivores. In Louisiana they are mainly confined to a couple of eastern counties near the Pearl River. From fish, crayfish, mollusks, insects, tadpoles, and an abundance of vegetation. We love hearing from our readers. They have thick ridged, spiked shells and incredibly strong, beak-like jaws. They are brown to grey and very flat. Just like other subspecies, their carapace is usually olive green with contoured markings and a prominent keel. [], This is an easy two pot meal, one for the venison stroganoff and one for the starch that can be prepared at home or at the camp. Pour into a serving dish, and garnish with green onion, if desired. Do not add water or wine. Add salt and cayenne pepper to taste. These include Green Sea turtles, Hawksbill Sea turtles, Leatherback and Loggerhead sea turtles, and Kemps Ridley sea turtles. This sauce piquant recipe is unique to Des Allemands, where many sauce piquants, no matter what the main ingredient is, are made with V-8 Juice and stuffed green olives. The scutes look like a series of razor-like humps and are edged in black. . Add turtle meat. Buttermilk Fried Chicken Recipe. Serve over rice. Limbs are solid colored, while the head tends to have lighter colored stripes. Spiny Softshell turtles are mainly carnivorous. They will bask on rocks, logs, or other sites with other species of turtles. Southern Painted turtles have dark brown or black smooth shells with an orange or yellow band running down the spine of the carapace. One species of tortoise is also native to Louisiana; the Gopher tortoise. Tie together thyme and oregano sprigs with butchers twine; add to pot and simmer 35 minutes. Ornate Box turtles are mainly found in Louisianas southwestern areas, but there are a few scattered populations elsewhere in the state. Chicken Clemenceau. Handle with tongs and meat does not come loose from batter. Reduce by half. Add turtle meat and lightly brown on all sides. Ringed Map turtles are easy to identify among other Map turtles species because of the distinct rings on the carapace. Even rattlesnake is said to taste like chicken, so why not just eat chicken? This is a wonderful turtle recipe. After that, add a can of golden mushroom, i can of rotel in the pot as well as well as sausage (i forgot to mention that this needs to be browned as well) and mix well. Add turtle meat and add enough boiling salted water to cover the meat. Sept. 22, 2011 -- intro:If Cooter Pie, Baked Possum and Corn Poe sounds like good eatin' to you, then you best check out this cookbook. AP. Drain and set aside. Chicken turtles are a semi-aquatic species that have long, striped necks and oval shaped shells. They can be aggressive and will often hiss and bite. As with many other turtles, Ouachita Map turtles are omnivores. These odd looking turtles definitely resemble pancakes. They are active during the day and like to bask. Identified by their distinctive hooked beaks, Common Snappers usually have dark brown or green shells. In highly oxygenated waters, these turtles can absorb oxygen through their skin like amphibians. They arent strong swimmers, so do not really chase prey. Combine the butter, sugars, and half in half into a large saucepan, then turn the heat up to medium. The upper half of this turtles head is covered in white, and the rest of the skin is green with white stripes. They mainly eat mollusks, crayfish, small fish, and tadpoles. He is an active writer, book author and outdoorsman. In fact, it was considered a subspecies of the Ouachita Map Turtle until very recently! They mainly inhabit areas of still water. Place over medium heat and bring to a boil, stirring constantly, until mixture reaches 240F, about 5 minutes. TURTLE STEW RECIPE 1/4 lb chopped bacon meat of two turtles, cut into bite-sized pieces 1/2 c. flour 1/2 tsp salt 1/4 tsp pepper 4 cups beef broth 2 carrots, sliced 4 large potatoes, peeled and cubed 2 medium onions, chopped 28 oz can diced tomatoes 2 tsp thyme 1 tsp marjoram salt and pepper to taste Add flour and cook 2 minutes. Harvest of turtle eggs is prohibited except for eggs of the red-eared slider. The smallest of all the sea turtles and the most critically endangered, the Kemps Ridley Sea turtle grows just over 2 feet long. These turtles are swift not only in the water but on land too. I caught a big soft-shell turtle this morning jug fishing. Reduce the heat, cover and simmer for about three hours. Its thought that these turtles can consume poisonous mushrooms and toadstools, which then causes them to become mildly toxic. They also have dark green, brown, or black skin with yellowish stripes. Try stir-frying the meat with bacon in a very hot skillet or adding it to a stew or gumbo. To roux add onions both yellow and green, celery, bell pepper (holy trinity) and garlic. Recently, small populations of these tiny sea turtles have started nesting on Louisiana beaches too. onion, chopped, green bell pepper, seeded and chopped, stalk celery, diced, fresh minced garlic, chili powder, butter, cornstarch, stewed tomatoes, tomato sauce, worcestershire sauce, olive oil, ground spicy italian sausage, minced onions and, olive oil, ground spicy italian sausage, minced onions, chopped garlic, fine dried bread crumbs, chopped parsley, grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese, dozen large oysters , preferably, shrimp or crawfish tails, butter (no margerine) and, shrimp or crawfish tails, butter (no margerine), onions, diced, celery, diced, green bell pepper, diced (can be divided red and green or all green), diced tomatoes, drained, garlic, minced, bay leaf, flour, tomato sauce, crawfish or shrimp stock or water, sliced green onion tops, fresh parsley, chopped, salt and, cake flour, sugar (or equivalent), black walnut extract (or extract of your choice ( i used black walnut), boiling water (nuked in the microwave), firm tofu, drained and squeezed of liquid, sugar (or equivalent), pecans, toasted, finely chopped, vanilla extract, water , if necessary, to make creamier, cocoa , sifted (, cookie dough , such as refrigerated at the market and. Often you can see these large turtles crowding logs, rocky outcroppings, and banks. Of the seven total living sea turtle species, the Kemp's Ridley sea turtle is the smallest. Alligator Snapping turtles are instantly recognizable. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. False Map turtles like to overturn rocks and pebbles in the rivers to stir up insects and eat them. Drop the heat to a bare simmer and cook until the turtle meat wants to fall off the bone, about 2 to 3 hours. Eastern Musk turtles have a great sense of smell and hunt for prey by scent. When hot, add the turtle meat and brown over high heat until deep brown and until some of the browning sticks to the bottom of the pot. Stir into pot. They can inhabit tidal marshes, and estuaries but they rarely spend time in full-strength saltwater. Cook on low heat from 6 to 8 hours until meat is tender. They will also eat some vegetation. Add celery, bell pepper, onion, bay leaves, and oregano. Reduce by half. My turtle recipes are below. The skin along the limbs, head, and neck is usually dark brown to black with yellow stripes. They are under review to potentially receive federal protection. These beautiful turtles are named for their markings. Serve over rice with garlic bread. These turtles like to bask at the waters edge, and often stack themselves on top of each other! What we do is soak the turtle in milk for 30 minutes - hour (in the refrigerator). Their skin feel like sandpaper, and they have long, tapered beaks. Bring to a boil and skim the scum that floats to the top. Painted turtles have smooth, flattened carapaces that range from olive to black. With a mix of French, Spanish and African heritage, Creoles in New Orleans have played an important part in the culture of the city. Chicken turtles are equally at home on land and in the water. Males have a prominent keel protruding from their dark green shells. (Cook until all water is gone and turtle is brown.) On a lightly floured surface, unfold puff pastry sheets. It's typically made with turtle meat, a roux of butter and dark flour, sherry, tomatoes, stock, diced hard-boiled eggs, lemon juice, and a variety of herbs and spices such as parsley, paprika, cumin, coriander, and allspice. Mock Turtle Soup . Brown turtle pieces slowly in bacon grease over medium heat.Add 4 cups beef broth and bring to boil. These turtles are very popular among turtle owners because they are so strikingly beautiful. I have a great turtle soup recipe but how much meat do you have so I can convert it for you. Weve also taken a quick look at the Gopher tortoise, a vulnerable terrestrial species native to Louisiana. An exhaustive list of all the turtles you may find in and around Louisiana. 1 pound deboned turtle meat 2 tablespoons olive oil 2 teaspoons dried thyme 1 teaspoons dried oregano teaspoon ground clove 1 teaspoon chile powder 2 onions, finely diced 1 stalk celery, finely diced 2 green bell peppers, finely diced 2 tablespoons minced garlic teaspoon ground allspice 1 teaspoon ground cumin 1 teaspoon ground coriander Add onions, garlic, tomato paste, and tomatoes. Melt 2 sticks of butter in a heavy saucepan. These turtles are active during the day and forage for food. Possession of firearms while taking or hunting frogs at night is prohibited. Pollution and a decline in native river mollusks threaten the remaining Pearl River Map turtles. These turtles prefer deep ocean waters where they can feast on their favorite food, lions mane jellyfish. Frequently referred to as the Common Mud Turtle, these turtles have a highly domed carapace with no ridges or patterns. If more water is needed during cooking to keep the sauce from getting too thick, add turtle water. The shell also has a wrinkled appearance, and the plastron (lower part of the shell) is yellowish or tan. After the roux is brown, add celery, bell pepper, green onion tops and parsley. Wash Boneless Turtle Meat and cut into bite size pieces. These turtles are protected in American waters, but that doesnt stop poachers from taking them. The Best Recipes from Louisiana Katie Bandurski Updated: Dec. 13, 2022 We found the best Louisiana recipes, all shared by local home cooks. See for yourself. These colorful turtles have distinctive patterning on their shells, sporting a series of yellow to orange stripes.