10 Ways To Eat Kangaroo In Australia

Although plenty of overseas visitors arrive in Australia planning to pet a kangaroo, not so many are keen to eat one. But following the news that we’re being urged to chow down on more roo meat to combat an over-population of kangaroos around the country, maybe it’s time you hopped to it and tucked into a serving of Skippy.

Roo pizza at the Australian Heritage Hotel, The Rocks

Sydney’s most famous kangaroo dish incorporates Australia’s other beloved national animal, the emu, on the borderline treasonous ‘Coat of Arms’ pizza — half emu and half pepper kangaroo with bush tomato, capsicum and lemon myrtle mayo.

Kangaroo steak at the Blackbird Cafe, Darling Harbour

Cafe, Australian

With a second-floor view of Cockle Bay Wharf as your backdrop, enjoy your joey chargrilled and served rare on a bed of mashed potatoes with a Jack Daniels sauce (because it wouldn’t be a true Aussie dish if the chef didn’t jam alcohol in there somewhere).

Kangaroo strip loin at the Waterfront Grill, Darling Harbour

That’s not the only place in Darling Harbour you can find roo on the menu — this premium steakhouse dishes up marinated strip loin with spinach pesto mash, wild rocket and red wine jus.

Roo skewer at the Meat & Wine Co

If you can’t bear to see Skippy served on a plate, how about a skewer instead? With six locations in Sydney and Melbourne, the Meat & Wine Co present the spiced loin fillet with buttered potato, tomato chutney and crispy onion rings. https://www.instagram.com/p/BJO-_BSDI30/

The Outback Burger at Melbourne’s Metro Burgers

Restaurant, North American, Fast Food

This trendy inner-city burger joint tucked away in Melbourne’s most iconic laneway, Degraves St, is a world away from the Australian bush — but that doesn’t stop its signature dish from being the Outback Burger, made of a roo patty with bush seasoning, lemon parsley mayo, wild tomato relish, salad, red onions and beetroot (the hallmark of a fair dinkum Aussie burger).

Black roo burger at Loaves & the Dishes in the Blue Mountains

Cafe, Restaurant, Australian, Fast Food

Just in case devouring one half of the coat of arms wasn’t already strange enough, this cafe in the tranquil village of Leura — two hours west of Sydney in the Blue Mountains — has sandwiched a kangaroo patty between two black buns for good measure.

Asian fusion roo at Tiger Lil’s in Perth

If Skippy ever travelled to Tokyo, this is what he’d taste like. This moody Perth nightspot combines oriental flavours with your favourite Aussie animal in its kangaroo sizzling plate, a roo fillet smothered in red miso sauce with seasonal greens. https://www.instagram.com/p/BT-reg_g_j4/

Thai Kangaroo Salad

The name doesn’t quite have the same ring as the original ‘Thai beef salad’, but the world’s largest exporter of kangaroo meat — Macro Meats from South Australia — are trying to win consumers over to this marsupial spin on an Asian classic.

Kanga Bangas

Now there’s a catchier name… and a simpler recipe. Embrace the great Australian tradition of throwing a couple of snags on the barbie with some sausages made of our national icon, available in all patriotic supermarkets.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BYqNNKNAuLC/

Kangaroo jerky

We have to finish with Chewy Rooey gourmet kangaroo jerky if only for its superbly punny name. Available in regular and chilli flavour.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BNJ0q5TDbIu/

About the author

Tom Smith

Tom is a travel writer with a focus on East Asia and Australia. He has contributed to Culture Trip since 2014 and has plenty of recommendations to share.