History

Turtle soup arrived in New Orleans via French Creole cookery and the city's plentiful Louisiana snapping turtles in the 19th century. Antoine's listed it on the 1840 menu; Commander's Palace has served it since opening in 1893 and it remains the Brennan family flagship dish. The dish became scarce in the 1980s when the snapping turtle was federally restricted; today's restaurants source farmed alligator-snapping turtle from Louisiana suppliers or use a turtle-and-veal blend. The tableside sherry pour from a small carafe is now a Creole-dining-room ritual; Arnaud's and Brigtsen's both keep it as a signature soup.

Common allergens: Gluten, Egg

Make it at home

Yield 6Hands-on 45 minTotal 3 hr 30 minDifficulty Advanced

Ingredients

  • 1 lb (450g) turtle meat (farmed snapping turtle, or substitute a 50/50 mix of veal shoulder and dark chicken thigh; the texture is the closest match)
  • 2 oz (60g) unsalted butter
  • 1/3 cup (40g) plain flour
  • 1 large onion, finely chopped
  • 2 celery stalks, finely chopped
  • 1 green bell pepper, finely chopped
  • 6 garlic cloves, finely chopped
  • 1 (400g) tin chopped tomatoes
  • 2 tbsp tomato paste
  • 6 cups (1.5L) veal or beef stock
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1 tsp dried thyme
  • 1/2 tsp ground cloves
  • 1/2 tsp ground allspice
  • 2 lemons, juice of both, plus 1 sliced for garnish
  • 2 hard-boiled eggs, finely chopped
  • 3 tbsp finely chopped parsley
  • 1/2 cup (120ml) dry sherry, plus extra to serve
  • Hot sauce, salt and black pepper, to taste

Method

  1. Dice the turtle meat (or substitute) into 1cm cubes. Season with salt and pepper.
  2. Melt the butter in a heavy pot over medium-high. Add the meat; brown hard for 8 to 10 minutes, in batches if needed, scraping up any sticky fond.
  3. Lift the meat out with a slotted spoon. Reduce heat to medium. Sprinkle the flour into the buttery fat; stir constantly for 8 to 10 minutes to make a peanut-butter-coloured roux.
  4. Add onion, celery, bell pepper and garlic; cook 6 to 8 minutes until soft and just colouring.
  5. Stir in tomato paste; cook 2 minutes. Add tinned tomatoes; cook 5 minutes.
  6. Pour in the stock, return the meat to the pot, add bay leaves, thyme, cloves and allspice.
  7. Simmer uncovered for 2 hours, stirring occasionally; the broth should be deep mahogany and the meat fork-tender.
  8. Stir in the lemon juice, chopped hard-boiled eggs, parsley and sherry in the last 5 minutes.
  9. Taste; correct with salt, pepper and several dashes of hot sauce.
  10. Ladle into warm bowls. Pass a small carafe of sherry at the table; each diner pours a teaspoon over their own bowl.

Tip from the editors. No turtle? A 50/50 veal-shoulder and chicken-thigh blend gives closest texture and dark broth. Do not skip the chopped hard-boiled egg; it is Creole signature.

Where to eat turtle soup

Turtle soup in New Orleans

Commander's Palace ★ 4.8

BrunchJazz brunch$$$50 to $90Sat to Sun 10:00-13:30Required, 2 to 4 weeks ahead

Commander's Palace in New Orleans is the Garden District grande dame on Washington Avenue, with the canonical New Orleans Sunday jazz brunch.

Order: Turtle soup with sherry, then eggs Sardou.

Tip: The 25-cent martini (3 max) is the brunch tradition; jacket suggested for the men in the upstairs Garden Room.

1403 Washington Ave, New Orleans, LA 70130

Arnaud's ★ 4.4

French regionalChef Tommy DiGiovanni$$$$$70 to $110 a la carteBook 1 to 2 weeks ahead

Arnaud's in New Orleans is the 1918 French Creole room on Bienville from Arnaud Cazenave, with mosaic-tile floors, the French 75 Bar next door and a costume.

813 Bienville St, New Orleans, LA 70112 Book →

Brigtsen's ★ 4.6

Cajun & CreoleChef Frank Brigtsen$$$$$50 to $85 a la carteBook 1 to 2 weeks ahead

Brigtsen's in New Orleans is Frank and Marna Brigtsen's 1986 Victorian-cottage Creole Acadian room near the streetcar terminus, a Paul Prudhomme alumnus.

723 Dante St, New Orleans, LA 70118 Book →

More cities are in research. Want turtle soup covered somewhere specific? Tell us where you want to eat.

Browse all dishes →