It reminded us of what we’d been hearing from some of our chef mates too; keep it simple when seasoning and serving Aussie meats.
Our mate Chef Jason Fullilove (Barbara Jean, Los Angeles) put it this way: “When I’m serving Aussie meat, I want to taste the meat itself! With lamb chops, as clean as possible — salt, pepper and maybe a little rosemary. Since Aussie lamb is cleaner and lighter in flavor than most lamb, you just want to let it shine on its own.”
But there's a specific salt out there that chefs have taken a liking to when prepping their Aussie beef and lamb - Maldon salt.
Chef Jason agreed, “Aussie grassfed beef is, if anything, more flavorful than you’re used to. It has its own minerality and herbaceousness. Maldon is my go-to salt for both lamb and beef. It has just the right amount of minerality without getting in the way.”
Now, Jason does still love big, bold flavors and spice blends, in particular, ras el hanout, which he uses to mythical effect on his famous braised lamb belly. (More on ras el hanout here, we love that stuff too!) But this issue is all about keeping it simple, so we digress…
There you have it. Maldon sea salt, perhaps the simplest ingredient that loves Aussie beef and lamb. If you really want to geek out on Maldon salt, here’s a link: http://www.bonappetit.com/story/history-of-maldon-salt