How to Clean a Soft Shell Turtle Before Cooking

Co-authored by wikiHow Staff

Last Updated: March 11, 2023

Soft shell turtles are considered to be some of the tastiest wild game to eat. If you have caught (or otherwise obtained) a soft shell turtle, you must clean it before you can cook and serve it. By carefully removing the head and feet, cleaning the turtle, and removing the meat, you will be ready to prepare this delicious wild game. Exercise extreme caution as turtles can be vicious.

Part 1

Part 1 of 3:

Removing the Head and Feet

1
Remove the head. Pull the neck out as far as you can, and remove the neck in one chop. A hand ax is the best tool for this. Leave as much of the neck attached as possible. Discard the head.^{[1]
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2
Wait at least 30 minutes. Once the head has been removed, you need to wait for the turtle to "bleed out." For more effective bleeding, you can insert a bit of heavy wire into the very bottom of the turtle's shell (at its rear), and hang the turtle up. This way, gravity can help the process along. This wire will also come in handy later when it is time to boil the turtle.^{[2]
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3
Cut off the claws and feet. Be aware that turtles can have violent reflexes even after they are dead, and that their claws are quite sharp. Using clippers (or your hand ax if you don't have clippers) remove all four feet and claws. Discard these.^{[3]
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Part 2

Part 2 of 3:

Cleaning the Turtle

1
Bring a big pot of water to a boil. Turtles spend their lives wallowing in mud, muck, and rotting plant matter so it is important to get them thoroughly clean before eating. Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil.^{[4]
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2
Dip the turtle in the boiling water. Holding your turtle by the wire you inserted earlier, carefully lower it into the boiling water. Hold the turtle in the boiling water for 1 minute.^{[5]
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3
Scrub the turtle with a hard brush. In order to make sure your turtle is clean, you are going to need to scrub. Using a hard brush, scrub the turtle all over its body. A thin layer of skin may (or may not) come off during this process.^{[6]
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Part 3

Part 3 of 3:

Removing the Meat

1
Remove the hind quarters. With the turtle on its back, you should be able to see a Y-shaped crease near its tail. Use your sharpest knife to cut here. Then cut along the underside of the shell in order to remove the hind legs and hind quarter in one piece.^{[7]
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2
Remove the front end. Using your sharp knife, cut around the front edge of the shell. Remove the neck and front legs in one piece. Continue cutting along the outer ridge of the shell, and remove this part as well.^{[8]
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3
Chop your meat. Once your front end, hind quarter, and shell edge have been removed, you are left with a pile of turtle meat. Use the cleaver or sharp fillet knife to carefully cut this into small pieces. As you do so, remove bits of fats and pieces of bone.^{[9]
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- You can cook this meat with gravy and serve it over rice.
4
Retain the bones. Large bones (like the shoulder bones and neck) can be retained and used to make turtle soup. If you plan to do this, leave a bit of meat on these bones.^{[10]
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