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Louisiana Turtle Soup

A rich, roux-based soup traditionally made with turtle meat, sherry, and Creole seasoning — a historic New Orleans specialty.

⏱ 25 minPrep time
🔥 90 minCook time
🍽 6Servings
🏷 Louisiana / Cajun-Creole KitchenCategory
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Louisiana turtle soup is the grand old soup of New Orleans — a rich, dark roux-based soup simmered with turtle meat (or beef in most home versions), sherry, and Creole seasonings. It’s a dish with serious pedigree, served in the city’s oldest restaurants.

Chef Emily presents Louisiana Turtle Soup

The grand old soup of New Orleans

A rich, roux-based soup with sherry and Creole seasonings — turtle soup, the Crescent City classic.

Step by stepInstructions

  1. Brown the meat in the oil in a large pot, about 5 minutes. Remove and set aside.
  2. Whisk the flour into the oil and cook the roux until dark brown, about 12 minutes.
  3. Add the onion, bell pepper, and celery and cook 5 minutes. Add the garlic.
  4. Return the meat with the stock, tomatoes, thyme, Cajun seasoning, and bay leaves. Simmer covered 1 1/2 hours until the meat is tender.
  5. Remove the bay leaves, stir in the sherry, and season with salt, pepper, and hot sauce.
  6. Serve garnished with chopped egg and parsley.

💡 Chef tips & storage

If you can't find turtle meat, beef chuck makes a delicious home version — the roux and sherry do the heavy lifting. Add the sherry at the end so it keeps its character.

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Recipe details

Prep25 min
Cook90 min
Servings6
CategoryLouisiana / Cajun-Creole Kitchen
PublishedAugust 16, 2026
Emily — the cook behind My Comfort Recipes

Hi, I'm Emily 🧡

Hi, I'm Emily — the cook behind My Comfort Recipes. Simple, tested comfort food for real weeknights, written down the way grandma would. Pull up a chair. More about me →