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Tortuga Rum Fever & Caribbean Party Cookbook
Barbara Currie Dailey

by Barbara Currie Dailey

I learned how to cook turtle steak from Mrs. Rita Scott in Cayman Brac, 25 years ago, by pestering her and watching her in the kitchen of the old Buccaneer's Inn. There, she and fellow cook, Mrs. Eloise Scott, created wonderful Caymanian dishes that fed hoards of voracious divers. But it was turtle steak that was the Buccaneer's Inn's signature dish, served on Sundays ­back then, if turtle was available, it was brought in on Saturdays. Many guests ate and relished this delicious seafood (which most thought was fine veal) before they discovered what it was. But after tasting turtle, they couldn't resist. Except for prime cuts of "fillet," which are not easy to come by, turtle steak must be well tenderized before cooking-like beef round steak. Use the toothed side of a meat mallet and pound both sides, breaking all sinews, until each piece is only about an inch thick.

Servings: 4 to 6

Ingredients:

• 2 pounds turtle steak, cut into 4 to 6 pieces
• 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 2 teaspoons garlic powder
• 1 tablespoon ground black pepper
• 3 tablespoons coconut or vegetable oil
• 1 large or 2 medium yellow onions, sliced
• 1 large sweet green pepper, seeded, cored & sliced
• 1 seasoning pepper, diced
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder or 2 cloves fresh garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme or 1 large sprig fresh thyme
• 2 14.5 ounce cans stewed tomatoes
• 2 teaspoons SeasonAll or seasoning salt
• 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• 3 tablespoons Pickapeppa Sauce
• 2 tablespoons Tortuga Gold Rum

Preparation:
Tenderize the turtle steak, pounding both sides well with a meat mallet, until pieces are only about an inch thick. Sprinkle with lime juice, 2 teaspoons garlic powder and black pepper and refrigerate for an hour. Heat oil over medium high heat in a large heavy skillet or Dutch oven until hot and brown the turtle steak on each side. Add onions and sweet peppers and cook until vegetables start to soften, stirring frequently so they don't scorch. Add remaining ingredients and stir well, reduce heat to low and simmering and cover. Cook for an hour or until turtle is fork tender and sauce is reduced and thickened. Serve with hot white rice or rice n' peas.