Turtle, green, raw

Green turtle meat is dense and firm, with a texture often compared to a cross between chicken thigh and firm white fish, and a mild flavor that takes on whatever it is cooked with. It has long been the base for turtle soup and Louisiana-style turtle stew, where the meat is browned first, then simmered slowly with a dark roux, tomatoes, sherry and aromatics until tender, since long, moist cooking suits its dense fibers better than a quick sear. It can also be cut into cubes for gumbo, battered and fried in small pieces, or used in place of another firm meat in a curry or braise. Because the meat holds up well to long cooking without falling apart, it works best in dishes built around slow simmering rather than fast, high-heat methods.

Turtle meat is a specialty product, typically sold frozen or vacuum-packed by seafood suppliers where legal, and should be thawed in the refrigerator and cooked within a day or two like any other seafood item. An 85-gram serving comes in at just 89 calories with 19.8 grams of protein, 40 percent of the daily value, and virtually no fat, carbohydrate or sugar, making it a very lean protein to build a soup or stew around without adding much fat from the meat itself. Its low sodium content, 68 milligrams per 85 grams, also leaves plenty of room to season a slow-cooked stew or soup to taste.