From The Bayous of Louisiana

www.CampDogCajunSeasoning.com

Turtle Sauce Piquant

       Turtle is a delicacy in south Louisiana (Cajun Country).  Not just any turtle will do either.  Probably the soft shell turtle is the best eating but I have a better chance of catching snappers and alligator snapping turtles, we call em’ (loggerheads) in my neck of the woods.  I would say the snapping turtle would be the number two choice out of the three.  Turtle sauce piquant is not something we would come home to when I was growing up but more of a tradition at a camp cookout “it’s a man thing” I guess.  I can remember catching turtles and bringing them home to my older brothers to help me clean them and take to a bayou bank on a weekend and cook a sauce piquant over a bed of hot coals, there’s not too many things in life better than cooking over an open fire on a bayou bank that’s for sure. There are several ways to cook turtle but my favorite is the sauce piquant.  Today I will share my recipe with you, I hope you enjoy. 

Turtle Sauce Piquant Recipe

   Ingredients 

2-3 pounds turtle meat
1 medium chopped onion
1 chopped bell  pepper
1/2 cup chopped green onion tops
1/2 cup chopped parsley
3 cloves chopped garlic
2 tbs Tabasco (original) hot sauce 1 can (10oz.) diced stewed tomatoes 1 can (10oz.) Rotel diced tomatoes & green chilies 1 can (8oz.) tomato sauce & Cajun Seasoning of choice 
Browning the meat: Season the meat with Cajun seasoning, Add a small amount vegetable oil to a cast iron or aluminum pot. 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 constantly.

Sauté Vegetables

After the meat is browned, remove from the pot. Add the onion, bell pepper, and garlic, and sauté until onion is some what transparent. Smother

Add the meat back to the mixture. Add the Tobasco sauce, stewed tomatoes, Rotel, and tomato sauce. If needed, add water to cover the meat.
Cook with the pot covered under low heat so the mixture simmers (lightly boils). Keep adding water so the meat stays barely covered. You need to simmer long enough so the meat is tender. You may want to add a thickening agent like a ½ cup of flower and water mixture.
Taste and add more cajun seasoning (or salt and pepper) to taste. Add the garnish

When almost done, add the chopped green onion tops and parsley and cook another 15 minutes or so.Serving

Serve turtle meat and sauce piquant over cooked white rice. Will feed 4 cajuns or 6 regular people.I hope you enjoyed reading my post and more importantly I hope you get a chance to cook some up soon, enjoy!