Snapping Turtle

[neuse]

Heavy rain yesterday, today picked up snapping turtle from road. He is is nit real big but would like to cook hime. Please tell me what to do.

[Dave Bulla]

Never cooked or cleaned one myself but I've been told by several different people about using their air compressor to clean turtles.  

How ya asks????

Well, they tell me they make a small cut in one leg and insert an air nozzle into it and blow the turtle up like a balloon.  Claim that the skin will totally separate from the critter and then you just cut around the edges and take 'em apart.

[Green]

Trapped a lot of snappers back in high school.....used to put them in a cattle trough and run a hose through it to let water circulate a week while they ate feed corn (I know yours is dead).  Cut the head off (get it to bite a stick then pull/cut)....hang them by the tail and bleed 'em.  Then make a small slit just in front of the anus on the underside of the tail and stick a compressor nozzle in and blow them up like a balloon to separate all meat like has been said here.  Next....take a hammer and a long wide chisel and go under the shell breaking all the ribs bones on both sides just under the shell all the way forward (8....I think).  Once you've got that done the turtle will separate and butcher into chunks....every bit of the meat is not only edible....but really, really tasty.

[neuse]

okay thank you, actually mine is still alive. I put hime in a wash tub with cornmeal to clean him out.
Once I get the meat out then what, fry, soup grill?

[Ricky Wallace]

Never ate a snapper,I like softshells,,if they are any thing alike fried is the best way ,,,for me anyway. Soup and stew gets a little greasy

[celticfisherman]

Turtle Sauce Picante

Turtle soup

Fried turtle strips...

Chili...

It's all good.

[Green]

I mostly fried it.....but that was back in the day.  I did make some chili with it once.....now that was sure good.

[olddogrib]

Been a while since I ate turtle, but I usually par-boiled until tender and fried like chicken. A pressure cooker would also work if you want to shorten the time. Supposedly makes excellent stew/soup also.  I personally haven't made any, but a few chopped potatoes, onions, milk, salt, pepper, etc. would probably round things out. You are to be commended for experimenting with such culinary fare.  In all honesty, I thought it was enough work that I'd have to be very hungry to start groping around where I can't see!  They've got a nasty disposition and those jaws will reach much further than you think. I was happy to catch mine "by accident" on catfish jugs/trotlines and they were plenty pissed enough to put up a tussle!

[Ricky Wallace]

You eat that thing yet?  Heres a softshell I caught a couple weeks ago. I gave it to my buddys dad,he sent me the shell back!
 http://i1195.photobucket.com/albums/aa398/wall5834/P5160134.jpg

 http://i1195.photobucket.com/albums/aa398/wall5834/P5160133.jpg

[neuse]

No I did not eat him, because he got away while I was at work. Will have to find another.
That soft shell looks good, I would like to have one of those.

[Ricky Wallace]

He read your post about eating him and he ran! Keep him away from the computer next time,,,,,,,,      

[frank bullitt]

Soft shell or snapper, both real good!

Never used the air cleaning way, just a knife and pruning shears.

The meat is excellent! Season, brown in skillet, put a fish coating on and bake. You could slow cook with bbq too. All Good!

Seen a real nice handle grip made from the neck of a snapper, too!

[Flyboy718]

Do you have to clean them out with corn meal or can you just kill 'em with a .22 and eat 'em straight out of the water...does it make that big a difference in the taste?

[JamesJamison]

We never did anything to clean out the turtles, just killed, cleaned and ate them,  possums though were kept in a big wire cage and fed shelled corn through the summer, and by the fall, they were big, fat, and ready for the freezer.

[olddogrib]

A word of caution to all you would-be table fare opportunists.  I too could never seem to pass up the slow, unfortunate, road-crossing snapper.  But the ill-tempered things can climb way better than you think.  I picked one up one the way to work one AM and I'll never forget the look of horror in that little old lady's eyes in my rear view mirror when it bailed out of the bed of my Tacoma! It evidently sensed my bad intentions, climbed the wheel well and did a "Geronimo" over the side. I was horrified when it spun on its back like a Frisbbee down the center lane, with traffic going both ways swerving to avoid it. All I could think of was how I was going to explain to my insurance agent how that sucker had gotten in there without my knowledge and why they should cover the ten car pile-up!  From a safe distance I turned around and saw that catastrophe had been narrowly avoided.  I went back and got him and all turned out well.  I just don't pick up "strays" much anymore. (you sure don't want 'em in the cab...nobody needs that excitement, either)

[Potoo]

That is really funny...climbing out of a pickup bed...I guess that would make me consider seriously whether to put it in the back of my SUV or worse..the rear seat. I'd hate to be driving and have it land on the passenger seat besides me.....that would be worse than a bee coming in the window. Imagine  getting bit and then doing a rollover and explaining it to the ambulance crew or ER folks...with him still attached....sounds like a dumb and dumber movie!