Turtle Soup appears as a signature dish in 1 United States cities. See each city's local variant and where to eat it.
Turtle soup · New Orleans
Turtle soup is the dark, rich Creole soup of slow-simmered turtle meat, holy trinity, herbs and a sherry finish poured tableside. Mahogany broth, gentle clove, lemon at the edge.
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.
Where to eat in New Orleans:
- Commander's Palace
- Arnaud's
- Brigtsen's