How to make Warndu’s salt and pepper crocodile

With their newly released book Coulthard and Sullivan have created a go-to guide for cooks wanting to introduce native Australian ingredients to their kitchen with recipes for everything from damper to finger lime and lemon myrtle cheesecake to roast magpie goose. Here, they share a Warndu take on a seafood favourite.

Salt from our amazing saltbush, ground up and mixed with our native pepperberry – the very best of friends – rolled over crocodile and fried into crispy morsels of goodness. If you haven’t eaten croc before, you’re in for a treat. It is a little chewy if overcooked, so keep it quick.

Salt and Pepper Crocodile recipe

Serves 2
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 5 minutes

Ingredients:

• 500 g crocodile fillet
• ½ cup self-raising flour
• 2 tbsp macadamia oil
• ½ cup lukewarm water
• 1 cup cornflour
• vegetable oil, for deep-frying

For the spice mix:

• 1 tbsp Murray River pink salt
• 1 tbsp ground saltbush
• ½ tsp ground pepperberry
• ½ tsp ground lemon myrtle

Method:

1. To make the spice mix: mix the spices together and set aside in a bowl. Reserve some for garnish.
2. Slice the crocodile into pieces about 10 cm long by 1 cm thick.
3. In a large bowl, mix together the flour and macadamia oil. Pour in the water and mix to a kind of pancake batter. Add more water if needed.
4. Place the cornflour in another large, shallow bowl.
5. Dip the crocodile slices into the batter, shake off excess batter, then dip in the cornflour and shake off excess cornflour.
6. Place the slices on a plate until they are all coated. If you like, you can double-coat the slices, too.
7. Heat the oil in a wok until it reaches 165–170°C. Test by adding a teaspoon of batter to the hot oil and if it solidifies and goes brown, perfect.
8. Cook the crocodile slices in small batches for two to three minutes or until golden brown. Don’t overcrowd the wok. Use a slotted spoon to remove and place straight into the spice mix. Gently coat and set aside on some paper towel.
9. Serve hot with a dusting of extra spice.

Note: this recipe also works well with barramundi instead of crocodile

This recipe is from Warndu Mai (Good Food) by Rebecca Sullivan and Damien Coulthard published by Hachette Australia.

warndu.com