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What he said. And here are some simple recipes I saved a long time ago from an old book:
Dressing Out a Turtle: Scrub the decapitated turtle with laundry soap and a stiff brush until it is clean. Get a container of water boiling, big enough to hold the turtle. When you have scrubbed off the leeches and green growths, boil the whole turtle for 30-40 minutes. Take the turtle pot and dump it outside on the grass and leave it until the turtle is cool enough to handle. Turn the turtle upside down and cut out the under shell. Again let it cool. There are different flavors of turtle meat. Some of the choicest lies along the backbone and it is almost hopeless to try to get this out if the turtle has not been boiled first. Now is the time to work with two dishpans. I toss the good meat into one and the discards into the other. When in doubt taste. Muscle meat tends to be good, fat is often of low quality. Seek the liver carefully. It is often excellent, but the gall bladder must be cut away and discarded or its acrid taste will permeate, and your friends will wish you had never come upon a turtle.
Fried Turtle: Fry like chicken or pheasant.
Turtle Soup: Cook slowly, simmering over low heat with onions and a little salt. Meat stock or bouillon may be added. Taste the soup when the meat is tender. Now is the time to decide whether to make plain turtle soup seasoned with sherry, or whether to add tomatoes, carrots, celery, etc.
Another soup recipe: Deboned meat from one small turtle. One each cup of chopped potatoes, onion and celery. One quart of turtle stock made from the bones. Cook all together until vegetables are tender. Add enough milk or cream to your taste. Adjust salt and pepper. Serve.
My wife will add the eggs from the hen turtles to the soup and then we feed them to our dog so not to waste, I'll have to watch my wife prepare and share her recipe, she doesn't use vegetables, but uses them when she prepares ox tail soup.
