Slow-cooked crocodile tacos with pawpaw slaw on the menu at Darwin's Mindil Beach Sunset Markets
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Don't waste your time with measly prawns — for a real taste of the Territory throw an entire 1.8-metre crocodile on the barbeque.
In fact, throw on four.
That is what Justin Whitrow will be serving tonight at the Mindil Beach Sunset Markets — slow-cooked crocodile served in tacos with pawpaw slaw.
Mr Withrow reckons the eight-to-nine-hour cooking time brings out a whole new flavour to the meat.
"It is quite different. A lot of people sort of refer to it as kind of chicken flavoured, but we find it comes out of the smoker more like a sticky pork kind of consistency," Mr Whitrow said.
"We'll use some local green pawpaws ... and make a beautiful green pawpaw slaw and serve it up as two tacos around sunset time for everyone."
The crocodiles, which were skinned but had their heads left on, were each about 1.5 metres to 1.8 metres long — the "sweetest size", according to Mr Whitrow.
"As with most animals the smaller ones do have a bit of a sweeter meat to them so they actually taste a bit better too," he said.
Mr Whitrow said he had seen a similar treatment with alligators in America, but was hoping the barbequed crocodile could become known as a "really unique" dish for the Territory.
He said it was a sustainable meat, as crocodiles were predominately bred for their skins.
The crocodile industry was worth $106.7 million to the Northern territory in 2014-2015.
"It is a very sustainable industry up here with the croc industry and not a lot of meat sales with a lot of it being orientated around the skins," he said.
"We do definitely feel that it's a sustainable meat product that should be used a lot more."
But in the future Mr Whitrow said he may branch out to other Territory flavours, including buffalo.
Topics: food-and-cooking, darwin-0800
