Turtle meat

[lizardman]

Has anyone tried turtle meat in the Cayman Islands? I would like to try some, but need a recommendation about where to go and how it's prepared. I don't mean to gross anybody out, but I love trying exotic/different types of food I am a Andrew Zimmern wannabe!

 

[Capt_BJ]

Spousal Unit and I often remember our most memorable {US} Thanksgiving as the one we spent in Grand Cayman and enjoyed turtle cordon bleu for our dinner. We've also enjoyed turtle burgers, soup, fritters and steaks.

Remember that the original Turtle Farm was established for farm raising of sea turtle for consumption and even today while they DO have a release program they also raise the product for food.

To find good turtle on the menu you are going to need to find the places Cayman folks eat ..... not cruise ship folks. I've found that even the turtle farm has cut back on turtle on the menu for aesthetic reasons.

btw
Tastes like chicken!

 

[snelsonbrown]

Norm and I was raised on Green Turtle meat in Key West - needless to say, we found the taste unable to describe - it has been over 30' some years since we have had any.
I know that we went all over Nassau to try and find a source for it, but never did find it.
Remember that only the green turtle is acceptable.
Post if you find a place OK?
Always
Shirley

 

[ontariomonkey]

I read an article about sea turtles recently and I'm pretty sure that it said most are endangered and to please not eat them.

 

[justmestace]

We ate turtle in Belize several years ago and I didn't care for it at all. It took forever to chew and chew and chew. To me, it was basically tasteless....kind of like eating rubber.

 

[DVC~OKW~96]

I am a fairly adventurous diner, but I cannot imagine eating something that is endangered, regardless of whether it's turtle or any other kind of meat.

I know people eat it, and that's fine. Their choice and all that, but as for me? Nope. It's one of the few things I have no desire to try.

 

[lbgraves]

Please do not turn this into a thread that debates eating turtle as endangered species. The turtle farms in the Cayman Islands are there for the express purpose of raising turtles for food. The rules in one country do not apply to all other countries. The only thing the regulations in the US do is prevent the meat from the Cayman Island farms to be sold in the US
http://books.google.com/books?id=uw...5#v=onepage&q=turtle farm laws cayman&f=false

Here is a statement from one of the main farm's website that clearly states that was the purpose for establishing the farm.

Cayman Turtle Farm was established in 1968 as Mariculture Ltd. by a group of investors from the United States and Great Britain as a facility to raise the green sea turtle, Chelonia mydas, for commercial purposes. The intention was to supply the market with a source of product that did not deplete the wild populations further. By releasing turtles and facilitating research, any harm created by removing turtles and eggs from the wild would be mitigated.

Here is an article about the farm.
http://www.maninnature.com/Testudines/Turtles/Turtle1a.html

This thread was started with the intention of getting opinions about this food item. Please keep posts limited to that topic or it will be closed.

Thank you.

 

[lizardman]

Thanks for all the useful information. We are cruising in early October and I plan on trying some. I will post and let anyone interested know where we ate, how it was prepared, and how it tasted (good or bad). Didn't mean to offend anyone

 

[ontariomonkey]

Quote:
Cayman Turtle Farm was established in 1968 as Mariculture Ltd. by a group of investors from the United States and Great Britain as a facility to raise the green sea turtle, Chelonia mydas, for commercial purposes. The intention was to supply the market with a source of product that did not deplete the wild populations further. By releasing turtles and facilitating research, any harm created by removing turtles and eggs from the wild would be mitigated.


Well that is very interesting indeed, who knew such a place existed? I only mentioned about turtles possibly being endangered because I know that if I ate something AND THEN found out that it was endangered I would feel awefull. Just thought the OP might want look it up for themselves.

 

[snelsonbrown]

During the times of being raised in Key West, we were not introduced into any other types of steaks, etc except turtle steak. We had what was called Turtle Krawl section and this is where all the locals would buy what was once our staples food. We also had lobster, stone and blue crabs, fish and anything else the ocean provided as our daily food. I realize folks trying it for the first time, could find it chewy, but if it is prepared correctly, it really is very good and healthy. I know for a fact that most of what is now known as premium top shelf seafood is no longer available or its seasonal.
One of the things I do know is that if you do get to try turtle steak, make sure you put lime juice on it.
Anyhow just a thought ;-))
From an ol' native
Shirley