A few months before we found ourselves driving into Australia's outback we were seated at our favourite Sydney cafe enjoying one of their lunch plates which had been garnished with saltbush. Recalling that delicious meal, and ourselves hungry from the morning's drive, we noticed the various saltbushes dominating the plains around us. With Google images providing some assistance we identified the most edible variety and nibbled tentatively on a leaf or two. We found Old Man's Saltbush to be, well salty. Deciding that eating fresh saltbush on its own was not delightfully palatable we foraged a nice bunch to take home with us - to turn this part of our outback adventure into a flavourful dukkah to sprinkle over our own studio lunch plates.
Recipe
Ingredients
1/2 cup dried old man saltbush leaves
1 cup chopped up small macadamias
1/4 cup sesame seeds
1/4 cup pepita seeds
2 x tbsp coriander seeds
1/2 tbsp cumin
1 tsp peppercorns
Optional
Some sea salt flakes if you want to boost the dukkah's saltiness
Method
Toast the macadamias, pepitas and sesame seeds in separate batches in a dry frypan - keep them moving over the heat by stirring with a wooden spoon to prevent them from burning
Remove from heat once a light toasted brown and let cool
Combine the saltbush leaves, cumin, peppercorns and coriander seeds and repeat step 1, removing them to cool once toasted
Grind the leaves and spice mixture into a fine powder using a food processor
Add the pepitas and give a quick blitz until they have been broken up into smaller pieces
Add the macadamias, sesame seeds and ground spice and pepitas into a large mixing bowl
Stir and flip ingredients until they are combined well
For instant recipe gratification toast a piece of sourdough, smear with oil and dip into the delicious saltbush dukkah you have just made!
notes
Store in the smallest jar or airtight container you have
No food processor? A stick mixer or mortar and pestle should work just fine
Use this dukkah as crust for oven baked fish, to sprinkle over salads for added flavour and crunch and to make your avocado on toast a little more exotic
Saltbush suppliers lacking in your local area and not going anywhere near the outback? Simply add a few more pinches of salt to taste.