Crocodile recipe: I wouldn’t eat a whole one

A few years back I was at an endangered species bbq. Okay, we didn’t actually whack a whole load of endangered critters on the grill but cooked up some unusual meats. We got them from Downey’s butchers in Terenure which offer up a large selection of gourmet game. We weren’t just trying to be mean but kind of curious. We had crocodile, kangaroo, buffalo, wild boar, ostrich and emu amongst others.

All in all it was an odd experience. The buffalo was delicious and as expected it tasted like beef but less fatty with a sweeter flavour. The boar was also great and pretty much tasted like gamey pork – no surprises there.

The crocodile was like a meaty fish, it had a fishy taste but the texture of chicken, I wasn’t into it at all but others really liked it. The kangaroo was horrible, it had a really stringy/bouncy taste – like it had been jumping all its life which I can only presume it had. The emu was like venison and the ostrich was like veal.

We all just had a nibble on each but a few hours after our experiment we all felt weird, like we had done something wrong. In retrospect, it was wrong to eat that many animals in one sitting and there were a few reports of crazy dreams that night. I won’t be repeating the experiment again.

If you do fancy trying crocodile, here is a recipe for Crocodile Skewers with Cashew Nut Satay by the Hairy Bikers. If you chicken out and can’t bring yourself to eat a croc, you can substitute the crocodile with, well, chicken.

What is the most unusual food you have eaten?

Crocodile Skewers with Cashew Nut Satay by the Hairy Bikers

Serves 2 as main, 4-6 as nibbles

Ingredients

• 1 piece crocodile fillet or 2 large chicken breast
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the marinade

• ½ lemon juice only
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 clove garlic, crushed
• 1-2 tbsp soy sauce

For the satay sauce

• 2 tbsp crunchy peanut butter
• 110g/4oz unsalted cashew nuts, crushed
• 1 lime or lemon, juice only
• Half can coconut milk
• Fresh chillies, chopped, to taste
• Splash soy sauce to season
• Sugar light brown muscovado sugar, to taste (optional)
• Approx 8-12 bamboo skewers or cocktail sticks, for assembling

Instructions

1. Soak the bamboo skewers or cocktail sticks in cold water for 10 minutes to prevent them from burning.
2. Season the crocodile or chicken generously with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Cut into strips about 1cm x 2cm (0.5in x 1in).
3. Mix together the marinade ingredients and marinate the crocodile or chicken strips for half an hour or longer if possible.
4. To make the satay sauce, combine all the satay sauce ingredients together in a small pan, adding just enough soy sauce to season. Add a little palm sugar or light brown muscovado sugar to sweeten, if necessary.
5. Simmer very gently for five minutes.
6. Preheat a barbecue, grill or griddle pan until very hot (the Hairy Bikers cook theirs on an outdoor fire).
7. Thread two or three strips of marinated crocodile or chicken meat onto each skewer and place on the barbecue or griddle pan or under the grill.
8. Cook for a few minutes on each side until cooked through and golden, being careful not to overcook.
9. Serve the skewers with the hot satay sauce for dipping.