The correct way to slaughter a live softshell turtle and the parts that cannot be eaten

Softshell turtle is the common name for the Chinese softshell turtle (Pelodiscus sinensis), also called tuan yu or shui yu. It is not only a delicious dish on the table and a quality ingredient for high-class banquets, but can also be used as a traditional Chinese medicine ingredient. It has many tonic and medicinal benefits. So how do you kill a live softshell turtle? What parts cannot be eaten?

How to slaughter a live softshell turtle

Poke the softshell turtle's mouth with a chopstick. The turtle is fierce and will bite down on the end of the chopstick and not let go. At this point, just pull the turtle's head out with force, then cut off the base of the neck with a knife and drain the blood.

Steps:

1. Place the softshell turtle with its back on the ground, cut off the head to slaughter it and drain the blood, then wash it clean. Next, use scissors or a sharp knife to cut a cross-shaped opening in the turtle's belly, remove the internal organs completely, and rinse clean with water.

2. Put the softshell turtle into 80-degree water and blanch it for a while, then peel off the layer of sandy skin on its body. This step is very important, because this layer of sandy skin cannot be eaten and is very rough; it must be carefully cleaned off, otherwise it will seriously affect the texture.

Place the slaughtered softshell turtle in hot water and blanch for 2—5 minutes at about 70—80 degrees, then take it out. After it cools, (you can also soak it in cool water to lower the temperature), use a small knife to gently scrape clean the blackish dirty skin all over the turtle's body, especially the head, the four legs, and the skirt edge. If it feels smooth to the touch, that is enough.

Be careful not to scrape through or scrape off the skirt edge (also called the flying edge, located around the softshell turtle, and the most flavorful and delicious part of the turtle). After scraping off the black skin, wash the softshell turtle clean again.

Cut open along the perimeter under the softshell turtle's skirt edge and lift off the top shell to remove the internal organs; there is another method, which is to use scissors or a sharp knife to cut a cross-shaped opening in the turtle's belly, dig out the internal organs, and rinse clean with water. After the internal organs are fully removed, wash clean, chop off the tips of the four claws and the tail sheath, and remove the yellow fat attached to the four legs. Good, the preliminary preparation of the softshell turtle is now complete.

After the softshell turtle is slaughtered and washed clean, there is still a very important step before cooking it in the pot, which is that the layer of sandy skin on its body must be thoroughly dealt with. Because the softshell turtle spends all year burrowing in sand and soil, a layer of old skin is worn onto its body. It cannot be eaten and must be peeled off completely. The method is to put the softshell turtle into hot water at about 80 degrees, blanch it for a few minutes, and then use your hands to peel clean the sandy skin on its back, skirt edge, head and neck, and legs. Note here that you should not remove the skirt edge too; it is only the thin layer of sandy skin on the outside.

Key steps:

Check the lower jaw, and do so carefully. The fishhook used to hang the softshell turtle is not large, and it can be hidden very deep. But if it gets into a person's stomach, that is bad. If you find it troublesome, you can throw away the softshell turtle's head when chopping it into pieces.

Removing the fishy smell of softshell turtle

When killing the softshell turtle, pick out the gallbladder from its internal organs and take out the bile. After the softshell turtle is washed clean, add some water to the bile and spread it over the turtle's whole body. Let it sit for a moment, then rinse clean with water. A softshell turtle treated this way will have no fishy smell when cooked.

Which parts of a softshell turtle cannot be eaten

Actually, every part of the softshell turtle can be eaten, and all have high nutritional value; it just depends on personal preference. Some people find the internal organs and fat very fishy and do not like to eat them. A good softshell turtle actually is not fishy at all. In addition, when eating softshell turtle, it must be slaughtered and eaten live; you cannot eat one that has died, because the softshell turtle's body contains a relatively large amount of histidine, and after death it spoils and deteriorates extremely easily. Histidine can break down to produce the toxic substance histamine, and eating it will cause poisoning.

Soaking softshell turtle gallbladder in alcohol is good for the body. It has the effects of nourishing yin and supplementing qi, reducing internal heat and improving eyesight, clearing heat and treating malaria, and reducing swelling and dispersing blood stasis. It mainly treats heat-type painful obstruction due to dampness, can supplement the middle and boost qi, and can tonify deficiency and nourish yin. It can treat rectal prolapse, anal fistula, and various childhood illnesses, all with good results.

Nutritional analysis of softshell turtle

1. Softshell turtle meat and its extracts can effectively prevent and inhibit liver cancer, stomach cancer, and acute lymphocytic leukemia, and are used to prevent and treat weakness, anemia, and reduced white blood cells caused by radiotherapy and chemotherapy;

2. Softshell turtle also has a fairly good blood-purifying effect; people who eat it often can lower blood cholesterol, and it is therefore beneficial for patients with high blood pressure and coronary heart disease;

3. Softshell turtle can also “replenish strain and injury, strengthen yang qi, and greatly tonify the insufficiency of yin”;

4. Eating softshell turtle also has a certain auxiliary therapeutic effect on pulmonary tuberculosis, anemia, weak constitution, and many other conditions.

It can be taken in appropriate amounts, but it can also be used for long-term tonification.