Email to Cat      

Snapping Turtle Sauce Piquante

Source of Recipe

From "Acadiana Table" by George Graham


Recipe Introduction

"This is a template sauce piquante recipe, so feel free to adapt it for rabbit, alligator, or most any wild game. I prefer using boneless turtle meat, but if your meat contains bones, then please advise your guests to watch out for the small bone fragments. The jalapeño pepper adds fresh heat to this spicy dish, so go easy on the hot sauce. The touch of honey balances out the acidity of the tomatoes—be sure to include it."

List of Ingredients

â—¦  2 pounds boneless snapping turtle meat
â—¦  Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
â—¦  3 bottles each of beer
â—¦  2 cups buttermilk
â—¦  4 tablespoons canola oil, divided
â—¦  2 cups diced yellow onion
â—¦  2 cups diced green bell pepper
â—¦  2 cups diced celery
â—¦  1 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
â—¦  2 tablespoons minced garlic
â—¦  1 teaspoon freshly ground white pepper
â—¦  1 teaspoon smoked paprika
â—¦  1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
â—¦  1 fresh jalapeño pepper, diced, seeds and ribs removed
â—¦  2 cups chopped ripe tomatoes
â—¦  2 cans (10 ounces each) mild diced tomatoes with green chiles, drained
â—¦  2 tablespoons tomato paste
â—¦  1 tablespoon honey
â—¦  1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
â—¦  2 cups chicken stock
â—¦  ½ cup dark roux
â—¦  2 cups sliced smoked pork sausage
â—¦  3 bay leaves
â—¦  2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary
â—¦  2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme
â—¦  2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil leaves
â—¦  2 cups diced green onion tops, divided
â—¦  Dash of hot sauce
â—¦  6 cups cooked long-grain white rice


Recipe

Cut the turtle meat into bite-size pieces. Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. Place the turtle meat in a large covered container and pour over two of the bottles of beer and the buttermilk. Cover and refrigerate for a minimum of 2 hours or up to overnight.

Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a large cast-iron pot or Dutch oven with a tight-fitting lid over medium-high heat. Remove the turtle meat from the container and pat dry with paper towels, removing all of the marinade liquid from the meat. In batches, add the meat to the hot oil and brown on all sides. Repeat until all the meat is seared, transferring batches to a platter.

Add the remaining 2 tablespoons oil to the pot and, once it is hot, add the onions, bell pepper, and celery. Stir the pot to prevent browning. Cook until the onions turn translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the parsley and garlic and stir. Season with the white pepper, paprika, and cayenne. Add the jalapeño pepper, chopped tomatoes, tomatoes with chiles, tomato paste, honey, and Worcestershire and stir. Add the remaining one bottle of beer and the chicken stock, and then stir in the roux until dissolved and the pot begins to boil. Lower the heat to a simmer and add the turtle meat, smoked sausage, and bay leaves to the pot. Cover and cook for 1 hour, stirring every 10 to 15 minutes.

Add the chopped rosemary, thyme, basil, and one-half of the green onions. Cover and cook for another 20 minutes. Taste the sauce and adjust the seasoning with salt, pepper, and hot sauce. Taste the turtle meat for tenderness and cook longer, if needed. Remove the bay leaves.

For serving, ladle the turtle sauce piquant over a mound of rice in a shallow bowl and garnish with the remaining green onions. Serve with crusty French bread and ice-cold beer.

Serves 4 to 6