Recipes

Crocodile, Bacon & Avocado Skewers

Marcus Bawdon

While crocodile meat has the reputation of tasting like chicken…

Crocodile, Bacon & Avocado Skewers Recipe

Serves 2

While crocodile meat has the reputation of tasting like chicken - and indeed fire chef Marcus says it is a good substitute - check out exotic meat sellers online and give it a try. A slightly firm, not over-ripe avocado is recommended in this recipe.

Ingredients

150 g crocodile fillet (or chicken breast if preferred)
1 tbsp runny honey
1 tbsp light soy sauce
6 rashers smoked streaky bacon
1 avocado
sea salt and black pepper

Method

Cut the crocodile into 2cm/¾inch chunks. In a large bowl mix together the honey and soy sauce, then add the chunks of crocodile into the marinade and stir until coated. Pop into the fridge to marinate for 30–60 minutes.
Set up your grill for high heat close proximity grilling.
Cut the bacon rashers/slices in half across the width. Cut the avocado into 2–3cm/¾ –1¼ inch chunks. Wrap each piece of avocado in a half bacon rasher.
Thread a chunk of marinated crocodile onto a skewer, followed by a piece of the bacon-wrapped avocado, then alternate with crocodile and bacon-wrapped avocado until the skewer is full. Season with salt and freshly ground pepper.
Place your skewers on the grill. Cook for a few minutes and then turn occasionally – you’re looking for the bacon to crisp up and the crocodile meat to reach an internal temperature of 74°C/165°F on a digital probe thermometer.
Overall cooking time is around 10–12 minutes.

Recommended Heat - Hot Coals
Skewer - Pre-soaked small wooden skewers

Further Information

Skewered by Marcus Bawdon

Book Review By Bruce McMichael at The Lemon Grove

Marcus Bawdon bestselling author of Food and Fire bbq guide brings you loads of new options to cook with skewers over flames and challenges the reader to experiment….

Skewered: Recipes for Fire Food on Sticks from Around the World is the latest book from chef, educator and now fire whisperer, Marcus Bawdon. You could add colour to cooking outdoors by wearing his colourful, signature Hawaiian-style shirts or you could follow the recipes in his latest cookbook.

The clue is in its title, Skewered, with Marcus using rosemary, lemongrass and bay stalks alongside the more traditional metal and wooden skewers. Not only is this a quick and easy way to cook, but the skewers themselves add flavour to everything from meat, fish, and vegetables to fruit.

And this method of cooking, with food brought close to the flames, produces a beautiful lightly burnt effect that tastes as good as his pictures would have us believe. Marcus takes his own photos in dazzlingly bright, close-up detail in bright, neon-like colours allowing you to see every bit of caramelisation, seed texture and glaze shine.

Charcuterie gets plenty of mentions – there are recipes for Chorizo, Cheese & Chimichurri Rafts; Chorizo & Padrón Peppers or Nduja Butter-Basted Cabbage Skewers and of course Bacon. Meat recipes are peppered with vegetarian options, flatbreads ideas and plenty of dip ideas from a tongue-tingling Red Chilli Shatta to a creamier, sweeter Spicy Lime & Coconut Salsa. This is food gathered from all over the world for us to recreate in our suburban gardens!

Marcus calls on lots of friends to test his recipes - he says they all love them but they would, wouldn’t they - so why don’t you give them a try. He writes his recipe headnotes in a friendly, accessible way so it’s easy to imagine listening to him as he takes a class at his newly opened UK BBQ School in Devon.

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