Sizzling summer means it’s time to rub the roo

Slip slop slap; we all know only too well that summer is the time to rub plenty of 30+ on.

I rub the 30+ on liberally and stay in the shade and lately I’ve found myself rubbing kangaroo as well. The shades of summer are bright colours, fiery barbecues and cool salads combined to make summer fare a thrill for all the senses.

In summer, my thoughts turn to native tucker: kangaroo.

Readily available in the supermarket it’s an inexpensive, lean form of protein and is really versatile. You can make your own version of cured kangaroo and serve this as part of an antipasto platter, simply rub the fillet with a “curing” mixture of equal parts (approx. 1 tablespoon each) of sea salt, cracked pepper and raw sugar. Place fillets in a stainless steel or glass dish, seal with cling film and place a heavy weight over the meat, refrigerate for minimum 36 hours. Pat the fillets dry, leaving as much of the pepper mixture on and place the fillets on a wire rack with a paper cover or mesh sieve so that is air-dried in a cool location – over four or five days, a leathery crust will form.

Serve sliced paper-thin with perhaps cornichons, olives, beetroot dip, smoked trout pate and lavosh crisps.

Kangaroo is perfect for the barbecue grill as it needs to be cooked on high heat for only a few minutes, and allowed to rest before serving.

The flavour of kangaroo is like venison – a rich taste that marries well with bold spices.

I think it is better to rub the roo rather than marinate it as the usual marinades of wine and herbs will dry the meat, as the fillets have basically no fat in them.

My favourite rub at the moment is of cracked black pepper, dried chilli flakes to taste, dried porcini powder and a little salt.

The fillet is drizzled with just a little olive oil before cooking for only a couple of minutes each side, it really is best to serve kangaroo medium to rare.

I combined thin slices of the fillet as a warm, colorful salad all laid out on a large platter of salad leaves, including rocket to further emphasise the pepperiness, grilled slices of sweet potato, baby beets (which I oven roasted with garlic and a few strips of orange rind), fine ribbons of zucchini – sliced lengthways using a vegetable peeler.

I drizzled the lot with my other new, yummy gift from “Santa”, avocado oil infused with lime: try it soon! This oil is delicious over green beans and makes a great summery dressing when combined with some orange balsamic vinegar.

Lastly, the kangaroo salad had the finishing touch of a dressing I made using equal quantities of yoghurt and sour cream, a generous amount of finely chopped mint leaves and enough lemon juice to form a consistency of runny cream. Enjoy!