[Spareribs]

So I visited a Chinese supermarket near my area and I discovered that they sell live soft shell turtles. Maybe I'll buy one but I need to learn how to butcher and prepare it. I'm thinking that it will probably taste amazing though despite the work. Also, it's a rare dish that even restaurants don't have available. 

 

[wuwhere]

There's probably a video on u-tube on how to prepare them and on-line recipes.
I bet they taste good deep fried.
Bon appetit.

 

[WraithApe]

  There's probably a video on u-tube on how to prepare them and on-line recipes.
I bet they taste good deep fried.
Bon appetit.

 
Just avoid the Asian chef turtle snuff movies... 

 

 

[wuwhere]

Come to think of it, preparation would be similar to a fish. Chop the head, tail and the four webbed claws. Then cut the belly open, pull out all the innards, wash and rinse, spread salt inside, dip in butter and drop in boiling hot cooking oil. Take out after a few minutes. Deep fried soft shell turtle.

 

[billybob_jcv]

I once had an awesome bowl of snapping turtle soup at a restaurant in New Orleans. Really yummy!

The really big snappers are about as close to dinosaurs as you can get...

 

[WraithApe]

I've never seen that on the menu over here! Primarily because it would cost too much to import I guess but I'd be surprised if it was legal under EU law anyway. Almost all species of sea turtle are considered endangered, but maybe that's not the case for freshwater turtles, like the snapper.

 

[Spareribs]

If I remember correctly I saw it on the menu at an old restaurant in Philadelphia when I was a kid. From what I gather, turtle soup is an old American dish of a past era but now kind of out dated. I did try turtle soup as a kid and remember that it was good.

 

[wuwhere]

 

[Spareribs]

Good video. Maybe I can bake a whole turtle in an oven.

 

[billybob_jcv]

There are a couple of different types of "snapping turtle" - the big one in the picture above is an "alligator snapping turtle", and I think they are endangered. There is also a smaller type called a "common snapping turtle" that is not protected and I think can even be farm raised. That's the one that is sometimes seen on menus.

 

[wuwhere]

Good video. Maybe I can bake a whole turtle in an oven.

 
You would need a big oven.
 

 

[Zelmindy]

I've never heard of eating a turtle and I can hardly imagine eating one, good luck bro. 

 

[pigmode]

Sea turtles were open game through the early 60's, 70's. I've never taken any but have eaten it many times, mostly in soup or stew. There was a house near school with a garage that had 3 walls completely covered with shells. Like most other animals the Green Sea Turtle's meat is graded for quality/taste, depending on which part of the body it came from. 
 
My uncle who had a chicken farm, built a concrete pool to raise soft shell turtle, but got tired of it pretty quick.

 

[billybob_jcv]

There are still places where sea turtles are raised for meat production. The most famous is probably on Grand Cayman:
https://www.turtle.ky/cayman-turtle-farm-speaks

I think it's pretty safe to say that if man can catch it and kill it, then somewhere in the world, someone wants to eat it.

 

[skippy]

Supposedly the reason the Galapagos giant tortoise went extinct was because it was so delicious, we ate it into oblivion.  I wonder if turtle has a similar taste.
 
http://www.theguardian.com/books/2004/jul/31/featuresreviews.guardianreview7