Sticky crocodile shanks

Cooking saltwater crocodile meat is not common knowledge amongst cooks, let alone how to cook each individual cut of the crocodile! Enter Nornie Bero, who has been cooking crocodile (often caught and harvested herself!) since childhood, who shares that “crocodile legs carry a lot of meat between their joints… they’ve got more of a gamey flavour to them”, similar to chicken, and that “different parts of the crocodile have different flavours… tongue is a bit more like pork belly, the ribs are a bit more like fish, the tail is like fish and calamari mixed together”.

• serves

  4

• prep

  20 minutes

• cook

  1:30 hour

• difficulty

  Easy

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Soulful Food

episode • The Cook Up with Adam Liaw • 

cooking • 

24m

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episode • The Cook Up with Adam Liaw • 

cooking • 

24m

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Ingredients

• Vegetable oil, for drizzling
• 1.5 kg crocodile shanks
• Cooked long grain white rice, to serve

For the braising liquid

• 1 litre vegetable stock, plus extra if needed
• 2 lemongrass stalks, cut to 4 cm lengths
• 2 cm x 3 cm piece ginger, sliced

For the sauce

• 2 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 tsp finely chopped garlic
• 1 tsp chilli macadamia paste (we used Mabu Mabu)
• 100 g brown sugar
• 2 tbsp Dijon mustard
• 2 tbsp island marinade (see Note)
• 1/3 cup honey
• 1 tbsp saltbush chilli (see Note)
• 150 g dark soy sauce
• 150 g kecap manis
• 1 tbsp Native 5 spice (see Note)
• ½ tsp white pepper
• A generous pinch sea salt
• 2 tbsp cornflour slurry, to thicken (if required)

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 180˚C (fan-forced). Heat a generous drizzle of oil in large, heavy-based saucepan over high heat. Add the crocodile shanks to the pan and sear, for 8-10 minutes, turning occasionally until golden on all sides. Add enough vegetable stock to cover the shanks, then add the lemongrass and ginger to the pan. Cover with a lid or cartouche, then bake for 1 ¼ hours, or until tender. Remove from the oven and remove the crocodile shanks to a plate. Strain the braising liquid, discarding the lemongrass and ginger, into a large jug. Reserve for the sauce.
   
2. To make the sauce, heat the oil in a second large saucepan. Add the garlic and chilli macadamia paste and sauté until fragrant. Stir through the brown sugar, mustard, island marinade, honey, saltbush chili, dark soy sauce, kecap manis, Native 5 spice, white pepper and a generous pinch of sea salt. Cook for 5 minutes, then add the reserved crocodile braising liquid and cook for a further 20 minutes, or until thickened and syrupy. Season to taste with salt, and thicken with the cornflour slurry if required. Return the crocodile shanks to the pan and toss to coat in the sticky sauce.
   
3. Serve the sticky crocodile shanks with the steamed rice.

Note

• These ingredient products (e.g. Island marinade) can be sourced from Mabu Mabu online.

Photography by Jiwon Kim.

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Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.

Stream free On Demand

Soulful Food

episode • The Cook Up with Adam Liaw • 

cooking • 

24m

G

episode • The Cook Up with Adam Liaw • 

cooking • 

24m

G