Eating in OZ: mountains of marron

Before my trip to OZ in February, I had only a vague idea of what people in Australia eat. Vegemite sandwiches? Shrimp on the barbie?   Endless "WD40" cans of Foster's lager? 

To my gluttonous glee, I was met in Western Australia with a gorgeous array of fresh seafood--particularly a large and delicious freshwater crustacean called a "marron." (At left: shrimp on the barbie.)  

While in OZ I made it my mission to eat as many of the lobster-like beauties as I could jab a fork in. When I wasn't busy shooting photos of wine bottles and vineyards, I pointed my camera at my dinner plate. I ended up with so many marron shots that I joked about devoting a photography exhibition to them: "Marron I Have Known (and Subsequently Eaten)."

Wineries are home to some of the best restaurants in Western Australia (Voyager, Leeuwin and Capel Vale come to mind). The food is top-notch, beautifully presented and wonderfully creative. Unlike many U.S. tasting rooms, which send you on your way with an empty stomach as soon as you're finished sampling the wines, the wineries in WA invite you to relax on a beautiful patio overlooking the vineyards while enjoying a fantastic meal--served with their wines, of course. This is the way it should be done, people! (Above photo: marron at Leeuwin; below: marron at Salitage.)

At this pace, you can't hit five wineries in a day, but so what? I'd rather take the time to stop and smell the marron.

Stay tuned for Part II: Dukkah and Pies.

(Below: shrimp, scallops and marron at Voyager Estate.)

 

Comments

[Shannon]

Hi Tina,

My name is Shannon and I'm the editorial assistant at Foodbuzz.com. Following up on a recent email invitation to be a part of our newly launched Foodbuzz Featured Publisher program, I just want to reiterate that I am very impressed with the quality of your posts. I would love to send you more details about the program, so if you are interested, please email me at Shannon@foodbuzz.com.

Cheers!

Shannon Eliot
Editorial Assistant, Foodbuzz.com
shannon@foodbuzz.com