Christine Manfield

Presented in 2001

Grilled freshwater marron tails with shaved coconut, ruby grapefruit and mint salad, and fried shallots

Serves 6

Coconut-lime dressing

50 ml (1¾ fl oz) sugar syrup

100 ml (3½ fl oz) lime juice, strained

100 ml (3½ fl oz) coconut vinegar

25 ml (¾ fl oz) fish sauce

¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

few drops of sesame oil

25 ml (¾ fl oz) extra virgin olive oil

Marron

3 × 350 g (12 oz) live freshwater marron

chilli oil, for brushing

sea salt and freshly ground white pepper

Shaved coconut, ruby grapefruit and mint salad

1 ruby grapefruit

1 small cucumber, thinly sliced

3 green onions, thinly sliced

½ cup shaved fresh coconut

2 tablespoons chopped mint

2 tablespoons coriander (cilantro) leaves

1 tablespoon Thai or holy basil leaves

4 kaffir lime leaves, finely shredded

finely grated zest of 1 kaffir lime

2 teaspoons pickled ginger, shredded

2 teaspoons green mango pickle

2 red bird’s eye chillies, deseeded and minced

1 cup baby watercress leaves

To serve

2 tablespoons fried shallots

Shaved coconut, ruby grapefruit and mint salad

1 ruby grapefruit

1 small cucumber, thinly sliced

3 green onions, thinly sliced

½ cup shaved fresh coconut

2 tablespoons chopped mint

2 tablespoons coriander (cilantro) leaves

1 tablespoon Thai or holy basil leaves

4 kaffir lime leaves, finely shredded

finely grated zest of 1 kaffir lime

2 teaspoons pickled ginger, shredded

2 teaspoons green mango pickle

2 red bird’s eye chillies, deseeded and minced

1 cup baby watercress leaves

To serve

2 tablespoons fried shallots

To make the coconut-lime dressing, mix all the ingredients together. Taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary.

Blanch the marron in boiling water for 2 minutes and plunge into iced water to stop them cooking further. Remove the tail and claw meat from the shells. (Use the shells to make stock for another use.) Arrange the marron meat on a baking tray, then brush with the chilli oil and sprinkle with the salt and pepper. Cook under a hot grill (broiler) for 3 minutes or until the flesh turns white. Remove from the heat.

To make the shaved coconut, ruby grapefruit and mint salad, remove the skin from the grapefruit and cut the fruit into segments, then dice. Mix the grapefruit and the remaining ingredients with the coconut-lime dressing in a bowl.

To serve, cut the cooked marron into slices, then toss through the salad and mix well to combine. Arrange the salad on plates, then sprinkle over the fried shallots and serve immediately.