Marron with grapefruit dressing

Take a much-loved ingredient from Margaret River – marron – and let Ian Parmenter show you the best way to serve it on a warm day.

Marron with grapefruit dressing Credit: Poh's Kitchen

• serves

  2

• prep

  20 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

The dressing works really well in this salad with the native crustacean of Margaret River, marron, but lobster or other shellfish could also be used.

 

Ingredients

• 1–2 small zucchini
• 1 small eggplant
• Extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 tsp grated lemon rind

• 1 large marron per person (see note)
• 6–7 small tomatoes, halved
• Black pepper
• Sea salt
• Several leaves of basil, shredded

 

Dressing

• 2 ruby grapefruit (or other variety, but ruby are best)
• ½ cup virgin olive oil
• 2 tsp honey (I use red gum or leatherwood)
• 2 tsp horseradish sauce
• Freshly ground black pepper
• Good-sized sprig fresh rosemary (optional)

The recipe makes one cup of dressing. This beautiful, fruity salad dressing also works particularly well with smoked fish.

Instructions

1. Slice zucchini and eggplant lengthways. Score flesh with knife in criss-cross fashion. Brush with a little olive oil mixed with lemon rind. Season.
2. Bake on baking tray in 200°C oven until cooked (about 10 minutes – depending on size of pieces). Brush flesh with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake at 200°C until cooked (flesh should feel firm). Allow marron and vegetables to cool a little before serving.
3. On plate, put the eggplant and tomatoes, top with marron, tomatoes and basil, and pour over grapefruit dressing. Cut the top and bottom off one of the grapefruits and peel by cutting down right through to the flesh, cutting away the rind, pith and skin, following the line of the fruit. Then cut out the individual segments by cutting next to the membrane of each segment.
4. In a bowl, mix the juice of the other grapefruit, the olive oil, honey, the horseradish sauce and black pepper. Mix well. Finally stir in the grapefruit segments.

Note

• If the marron is living, chill in freezer to put to sleep. Slice lengthways, clean.

Poh's Kitchen, season 1 to season 3, premieres on Tuesday 20 November at 8.30pm. The series airs Tuesdays at 8.30pm on SBS Food (Channel 33). After they air, episodes will stream at SBS On Demand. 

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.

The dressing works really well in this salad with the native crustacean of Margaret River, marron, but lobster or other shellfish could also be used.